Where is God in the midst of disaster?
WHEN BAD things happen, whether to Christians or the unsaved, the mind struggles to understand why a loving God would have allowed all those things to take place. We think of Him as someone with the ultimate power who can miraculously stop bad things from ever happening and feel betrayed when he doesn’t.
So many acts of cruelty that could have been avoided and were not, sicknesses that could have been cured and yet were not, leaving the families to deal with the loss of the loved ones in spite of the many prayers that go up.
A few days ago Muslims were in the mosque praying when 49 of them were cruelly struck down. How could evil have been allowed to win like that?
The Bible assures us that God cares about every aspect of our lives, and yet , the deafening silence in preventing tragedy leaves the mind in a blur.
Is God cruel? Doesn’t He care, and if He does, why didn’t He do something before it happened?
Those questions have boggled the minds of many, and for answers, Family & Religion reached out to Rev Dr Zebulah Aiken, of the Miracle Tabernacle Church of God of Prophecy, who said to think that God is cruel would be acknowledging that He doesn’t care about our well being, doesn’t love us, and takes pleasure in seeing His children suffer.
The Bible, she said, already established that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and neither are r His ways ours.
“God is a god of love, and as we approach the Easter season, think about the pain He must have felt as His son felt abandoned and alone on the cross, yet knowing that it was necessary for us to be saved,” she said, adding that she loves to say to people who ask where God was in the time of their loss, that He was the at the same place when He watched His son die.
Job was also at that place, confused on the reason for his suffering and tremendous loss. He even had his friends telling him that he must have done something wrong. In the end, his final years were better.
Not every story will conclude like Job’s, stressed Aiken. However, she points out that God’s mercy and strength to face any situation will remain the same.
“A lot of times persons question why God doesn’t prevent something, but they also forget that He didn’t make us as robots. Unlike animals and plants, humans have the gift of choice, and right or wrong they come with consequences,” said Aiken.
Pointing to a popular song by Cristy Lane, One Set of Footprints
in the Sand , she said that the person described in the lyrics felt alone and wondered why God had left her alone during the tumultuous times of her life, only to discover, that she was actually being carried in His loving arms.
“God is not cruel or uncaring. It is in those trying times when faith must be activated. Trusting is never easy when the mind is fighting to make sense of pain and loss,” said Aiken.
“Dealing with cruel things
Is God cruel and unfeeling? Does Jesus care when I’ve said To the dearest on earth to me, And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks - Is it aught to Him? Does He see? - The Isaacs – Does Jesus Care? “A lot of times persons question why God doesn’t prevent something, but they also forget that He didn’t make us as robots.
happening in your life is never easy, and it certainly does not make any sense. Christians struggle with this, more so the unsaved. When tragedy strikes, the inevitable question of, Why couldn’t God spare me this?” can come up, said Aiken, who said that it is natural to feel angry and upset with God.
God’s Word never promises Christians an easy and pain-free life. In fact, He promised that in the midst of all that He will send a‘Comforter’.”
She said that we are living in a sincursed world and that God doesn’t always intervene to stop calamities from happening – a consequence, she said, of living in a world marred by sin.
“We may never understand why God doesn’t stop some cruel stuff from happening, but we can rest assured that He is still caring, still loving, and will still be there for all those who put their love and trust in Him.”