Where is God when things go bad?

I stood a mendicant of God
  before His royal throne
And begged him for one priceless gift,
  which I could call my own.

I took the gift from out His hand,
  but as I would depart
I cried, “But Lord this is a thorn
  and it has pierced my heart.

This is a strange, a hurtful gift,
  which Thou hast given me.”
He said, “My child, I give good gifts
  and gave My best to thee.”

I took it home and though at first
  the cruel thorn hurt sore,
As long years passed I learned at last
  to love it more and more.

I learned He never gives a thorn
  without this added grace,
He takes the thorn to pin aside
  the veil which hides His face.

Steve Saint is the son of Nate Saint, one of the five missionaries slaughtered by the Auca Indians of Ecuador in the 1950s. He and his family continued to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Aucas (now known as the Waodani) and the resultant changes to this people group are amazing.

I recently listened to a recording of a message that Steve Saint gave at a conference on worldwide evangelism. His talk was convicting and motivating. He has a wonderful sense of the total sovereignty of God—even in the midst of such terrible things as the murder of his father.

Steve read the poem at the right to help explain the concept of God’s love and goodness shining through even the seemingly bad circumstances of our lives.