No, God wasn’t punishing your classmate for anything she did wrong. God loved her just as much as He loves you, and in His love He has now freed her from all the pain she suffered in this life.

At the same time, you’ve asked one of the hardest questions any of us ever faces, and one I have asked myself countless times. To be honest, I don’t know why God allowed your friend to suffer and die. Some day, in heaven, all our questions will be answered, but until then we can only look to God and trust our lives and our questions into His hands.

But I do want you to understand two important truths. First, the world today isn’t the way God originally made it. When God created the world, He meant for us to live in perfect harmony and peace and fellowship with Him forever. But something terrible happened, and that “something” was sin. The human race rebelled against God, and ever since then our world has been ravaged by sickness and evil and death. Tragically, we all share in its ruin.

But secondly, in spite of this God still loves us and wants to help us and give us hope for the future. How do I know this? I know it because Jesus Christ came into the world to overcome sin and death, which He did through His death and resurrection. The most important thing you can do to honor your friend’s memory is to give your life to Jesus, and I pray you will.

Have hope for the future.