Why God?

Does anyone know why God does some things, but then doesn't do others?

Why do some people survive, and others don't?

Why do some buildings catastrophically collapse while the one next to end it stays standing?

Why do some people have abortions, while others, desperate for a family cannot seemingly conceive?

Why, if God is Love, is there so much injustice, suffering, pain and death in the world? How can He bear it? Why does He stand idly by while children are murdered, parents are killed, people are abused.

Why God? Why don't You DO something?

I know of two different people, in recent times who have either had a "lucky" escape, or who have been tragically bereaved, even while doing something God has asked them to do.

There seems to me to be no logic in either outcome.

Needless to say I'm thankful for the escape, and from a distance share the pain of grieving loss.

Does God have a Plan?

I believe with all of my heart that He does. But that doesn't necessarily make it any easier.

For me, I am fully aware that my life is not under my control. Sure, I get up eat breakfast, brush my teeth etc. And if I really didn't want to, I could skip brushing my teeth. That part of my life is certainly under my control. It's called 'free-will'. (Don't worry I do brush my teeth at least twice per day, unlike other people I could mention).

But the big things - like when will I die - I honestly have no 'control' over.

In reality, today is all I have.

God knows when I will die, for I will one day. As will you. I personally don't intend on living forever, I'm quite tired already! In 100 years from now it's likely that the world will still be here but highly likely that you will not.

As humans we have to get our heads around this. Because it matters.

I don't mean to be morbid, but I do mean to be intentional.

I overheard someone last night (at the table next to ours) having a conversation about Faith.

He said "I don't need faith. I'm self-actualized"

He went on to say was that he had got his morals from the Bible, but didn't need any of the rest of it because he "knew now how to live his life and was perfectly happy, thank you very much."

I didn't interject into their conversation (it was our anniversary, 9 years, thanks for asking). But I think it illuminates something of the modern "post-Christian" condition.

The church has failed in its mission if it has successfully injected the 'moral message' of Christianity into society, but has equally failed to communicate the saving power of the Gospel.

In New Zealand, and lots of other places in the world 'good people' - Christians even - die every day. In sometimes random and unexplained "unjust" ways.

And this leads me back to my starting question "why doesn't God do something about it then?"

The answer is both easy and complex, personal yet offensive.

The answer is "He will." and "He has"

He knows that man does bad things to ourselves and one another. It's been that way since the first rebellion with Adam and Eve. And because He is a perfect, just God he cannot allow us to get away with our actions.

Motivated by Love for what he had made, he entered time and history as Jesus Christ and died on the cross taking all the sin of the world away, so that when we die we can enter into His Kingdom where there is no more pain, sickness or suffering of any sort.

This is history, we have it in the Bible.

This is the personal and offensive part. It's personal because you have to do something about it (say yes or no) and offensive because it offends our self-centredness to think that we need rescuing at all. I say get over it, you're not that perfect.

That's the "He has" answer.

The "He will" part is the complicated bit, but bear with me.

Right now, today, Jesus lived and died and rose from the dead 2,000 years ago. And we're living in a time when this message of salvation is still being preached to the ends of the world. Once everyone (and God is patient, so He's giving you time too) has had the opportunity to respond to the Gospel, then the end will come. This earth will get destroyed and a new heavens and a new earth will be made. Where there will be no more pain, suffering or injustice.

The Bible tells us that before the throne of God we'll be judged according to what we've done in our lives and Justice will be done.

The Bible also tells us that those who put their trust in Jesus will, on that day, not have their sins (bad stuff) counted against them, but will instead be saved from Judgement because our sins were dealt with through faith in Jesus Christ.

I believe that when we die is not dictated by whether we are "a good person" or "a bad person". In fact you could argue that that is irrelevant to the timing of our death.

But actually what happens after we die is the more important question.

I guess if you don't believe in an after-life then none of this matters.

But then why would we think it unjust for good people who we don't even know to die?
Why would we have this sense of right and wrong?

If it's all just molecules bumping against each other, then surely none of this is of any consequence to anyone. 

I can't decide for you whether there is an after-life or not. I believe there is. And we'll all get to experience it some day.

We don't get a choice of when that day will be. But we do get to choose whether we go there confident of our destination. Or not.

God makes us an offer we can't refuse in Jesus.

I know I'm going to heaven not "self-actualized" but actually trusting in Someone else. And that gives me remarkable peace and confidence in living life to the full. (Even if I do have man-flu right now).

I pray you know that peace and confidence too. It's life-changing stuff.

Thank you God for intervening in my life. Why don't you let Him intervene in yours?