Why did God allow the massive death in Haiti?

When tragedies like the earthquake in Haiti occur, killing thousands of people, some might question why God would allow so much death?  I can’t say that I understand completely why God allows what He allows, because who can completely understand the sovereignty of God? God is the supreme authority, and He doesn’t have to explain Himself to me. I know that He is a loving God, and wants what is best for us. But we can’t play God thinking that we know what is best for someone about when their time should come to an end. Maybe death now would save someone from some other situation that would be worse had they continued in life. God knows the big picture, and part of faith is trusting that God is using those things that are hard for us to understand to bring about good.

I can relate to this situation personally because twenty two years ago, my sister took her own life. Why would God allow that? I believe that just like the Haitians who died, my sister’s death had a purpose. Her death actually started me back on the road to God. I had strayed from God after my parent’s divorce, and her death brought about my desire to seek God. That process has changed me more than I can ever explain. And in the process of changing, I believe that I will touch the lives of others for God in a way that I might never have done had she still been alive today. I also think her death kept her from going down a road to destruction that could have had eternal implications. As difficult as it was on me and my family, God had a purpose in the timing of her death.

For the Haitians, I believe that those whose lives ended will affect others in a positive way that we may never understand. So perhaps we can look at it as God has a purpose for those who died, which will touch others who saw their death, but in a different way than we could ever imagine or comprehend.