Losing Faith

I read a blog yesterday that told of a man who was once a preacher and teacher at a seminary. This man has lost his faith in God. He has lost faith that God could exist in a world filled with so much pain and suffering. In fact, he's even written at least one book talking about this very thing.
There's so many ways Christians can explain why God does or does not allow things to happen. I heard a very good sermon by Foree Grove years ago. He talked about the fact that we live in a "thorny" world. This imagery stuck with me for a long time and has developed quite a bit in my brain. I even came up with my own analogy for some atheists that I discussed this with when I studied in Mexico. To me, God is like a clock-maker. He made the world like a clock. He put all the essential pieces together and made them work in harmony. He wound it up and let it go. Sometimes the watch goes too fast and He has to reset it. At times it starts to slow down and He has to wind it up. The pieces, at times, break and have to be repaired or replaced but, for the most part, it runs on it's own. The clock maker checks on it regularly and does what needs to be done when He feels it's necessary. You may agree or disagree with this analogy. Leave a comment. I'd love to hear it!
In the end, is the world perfect? No. Do bad things happen to good people? Yes. I see God work through many of these occurences and He gives us plenty of opportunity to glorify his name through all of these things. We just have to be on the lookout for the part He wants us to play. Most importantly, we have to act on what that part is. That's the hard part!