A terrible tragedy has happened. The unthinkable. The World Trade Center in New York City was destroyed by terrorists who hijacked two airliners and flew them into the twin towers. More than 5000 lives were taken and thousands more were injured. Some would say this was the will of God. Was it?

Yes, God does have a will, but so does man. He was created just a "little lower than the angels". As were the angels he was created with a will. His will often clashes with God's will. He is not a robot. God does not control his every thought and movement. Sometimes he makes wrong decisions. Sometimes those decisions conflict with the will of God.

God has also given us two sets of laws to live by: God's divine law as given in the Bible and the laws of nature. Man, as a free will moral creature, may violate either of these laws. He may violate the divine laws and be lost eternally, or he may violate the laws of nature, either intentionally or unintentionally, and suffer the consequences of sickness, suffering, and even death.

A plane goes down killing hundreds of passengers. Is this the will of God? Or, is it the result of pilot error or some other human blunder? A terrorist bomb explodes killing hundreds of people. How can anyone say this is God's will? It is clearly the result of human will going awry. There is a car accident caused by a drunken or careless driver. This is clearly the result of wrong decisions and human error. God is not to be blamed.

Laws of nature include natural disasters - storms, floods, earthquakes. We must conclude that there is a purpose for such things. When those things occur, we must get out of the way or suffer the consequences. It is not God's will that anyone perish. However, He does not miraculously throw a cloak of protection around anyone. Such would violate the freedom of human will.

Heed this warning: Violate God's law, either divine or natural, and you suffer the consequences.