God cares for everybody

DR ETHAN Lowe, in his article ‘Why do bad things happen to good people’, raised some sobering questions. He related a story of a woman who thought God has given a miracle baby, who was subsequently and mercilessly lost in an accident.

The response that God gives and also takes would be nothing more than assumption in this case, since ‘miracles’ and their losses are not necessarily of God. It would absolutely be unkind to so unceremoniously relieve someone of a special gift just because you were the giver.

But the good news is that with evil things, God cannot be tried nor does he try anyone (James 1:13). His goodness and power are not necessarily undermined by his non-intervention in all our affairs, nor is his permission of evil a representation of his approval of it.

Adam’s fall from grace, and consequently his offspring, is not a punishment from God any more than running a red light that resulted in an accident would be the fault of traffic regulation. Further, to shove aside the exchange between God and Satan regarding Job’s integrity as petty, is tantamount to disregarding authenticity, reputation and character, without which one has nothing – something for which we go to courts.

For those innocent victims of suffering – like the birds, trees and rivers that Dr Lowe spoke of – it’s also true that our own actions produce consequences that affect others, yet has nothing to do with God, nor reflect on his personality.

The scripture he references at Revelation 21: 3-4 is not just a trade-off that we can hope for in a world of unfairness and widespread injustice, it bespeaks the very essence of God – the unearned blessing from a God who is always love (1 John 4:8).