Did God PLAN this?

As we try to make sense of this trial we are experiencing, so many sweet friends have told us to hang in there, because, "God has a plan".  I know our family and friends mean well by this comment- and I try to take it as it is intended.  But the thing is- the Lord did NOT plan this for us.  Our loving Father in Heaven never intended for us to suffer through these trials of pain, illness, or disappointment.  We were created for Paradise!  It's that pesky free will that keeps getting in the way.  As C.S. Lewis says in Mere Christianity, "If a thing is free to be good it is also free to be bad.  And free will is what made evil possible."  And yet, free will is the only thing that makes love possible.  Without it, we'd be a bunch of robots- and what's to love about that?  A world of automatic beings would hardly be worth creating. 

And yet He knew we were worth creating.  The risk was worth taking.  When these senseless things happen- when we suffering E.A.S. (empty arm syndrome), when my dear friend's precious baby is born with a heart problem, when my co-worker's husband has a brain-tumor...I know the Lord did not plan these things.  There is a big difference between His perfect will and His permissive will.

Lewis gives the example of a mother telling her children, "I'm no longer going to make you clean your room.  You have to learn to do this on your own."  Later she discovers the room is not neat.  Did she will the room untidy?  No- but she allowed it to be.  Lewis explains, "You make a thing voluntary and then half the people do not do it.  That is not what you willed, but your will has made it possible" (Mere Christianity). 

And yet I know that He will work all things for the good for those who love Him.  (Romans 8:28)  I know that the Lord God can resurrect all horrific situations.  He has already brought the ultimate good out of the worst evil by raising Christ from the dead after His Crucifixion- opening the door to Heaven as a result.  I know our King and Savior is trustworthy and worth of our praise.  And so I will choose to trust the Lord with my "why's" and these things that I don't understand- that don't make sense to me. 

Based on Habakkuk 3:17-19:

Though I am not holding this little guy in my arms,
Though I cannot understand why these adoptions are not going through,
Though we are not pregnant month after month,
Though I'm tired of dealing with the paperwork and expense of adoption and the frustration and heartache of remaining childless,
Though my heart is broken,

YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD, I WILL BE JOYFUL IN GOD, MY SAVIOR.  THE SOVEREIGN LORD IS MY STRENGTH.