"God's looking out for you!"

As regular readers should know by now, while I personally don't care what one's religious beliefs are, I myself am not religious. I'm fascinated by religion, have read about and studied several from around the world, but in the end, there hasn't been one which has convinced me it's more valid than all the others. Given that, I got into a discussion with a rather religious individual over the weekend and, while I know she meant well with her words, they still kind of rubbed me the wrong way. We were discussing health ordeals, and when I informed her I was once riddled with a brain tumor and underwent surgery to remove it, she kept repeating the line, "God's looking out for you" and "God's got plans for you!"

I know people mean well when they say such things, yet whenever I hear these lines, an array of questions come to mind, such as: "Does this mean God wasn't looking out for the 3-year-old that was shot and killed the other day?," "It wasn't in God's plans to protect those that lost their homes and loved ones in the path of the typhoon?," and "What about those who fell victim to brain cancer and other forms of cancer? What makes me so special that God would want to save me and not them?" People often times come across as narcissistic when they make such claims. They want to believe they're one of God's chosen people, that their friends and family members have been blessed because of their strong faith and good deeds, yet what about such individuals outside of their circle(s)? Why don't they receive equal treatment from this supposedly benevolent and omnipotent deity? Why wasn't God watching out for them?

The concept of predestination is one area of the Christian religion I can't fully come to terms with, especially when someone attempts to explain that free will can coexist with predestination. It'd be one thing for a Christian to tell me he or she believes in a higher power, a savior, and that God granted mankind free will, so therefore he/she/it can't control everything. However it's quite another to say we all possess free will, yet this higher power still controls everything. I could get on board with the idea that a higher power granted us all free will, yet have an incredibly difficult time believing this higher power has a predestined plan for each and every one of us, especially if we were granted free will, for what is free will if the end result is inevitable regardless of our self-determined actions?

It's probably easier on our minds, hearts, and consciences to trust the idea that a higher power is in control of everything, especially in times of tragedy. It's easier to think someone is watching out for us and that we'll learn the answers when all is said and done, instead of over-analyzing things to the point of a mental breakdown. Even if that's the case, however, I still have a difficult time hearing people tell me, "God's looking out for you" and "God has a plan for you" when, at the same time, it's felt as though he/she/it's lacked that vision and protection of so many others. I find it quite bizarre that people tend to trust the unknown rather than question it, yet I can understand the rationale, for if the unknown is just that, questioning it will inevitably bring about more questions than answers, continuing the cycle of dissatisfied uncertainty as opposed to satisfied denial.