In response to my last post...

There were some comments about my last post that I wanted to address and try and clarify a little more about what I said. Thanks for taking to the time to read my blog. My heart breaks for those suffering from all that is going on over there. It is tragic and I can't imagine being there and seeing the destruction, pain, and hurt all around. I was trying to gain a biblical understanding of the world, which I don't think is opposed to science. Here is why...

The God that I believe in has set up the universe in a certain way, and usually works within that framework (including the shifting of the earth's plates which account for earthquakes and tsunami's as well as the formation of continents, mountains, canyons, etc). He may circumvent the natural order at times, but that doesn't usually seem to be the case. I don't have any reason to believe that the recent earthquake and tsunami are an exception, so we should try to understand how these things happen, seeking the best explanations we can find (including putting the best researchers and thinkers on the case). When there is rain, I expect to see rain clouds.

 

I think all tragedy and pain are consequences of living in a broken world. I don't presume to know the mind of God about these situations, and my apologies if you thought I was saying that the disaster was God's indictment on Japan. That wasn't what I wanted to communicate. But I do think the God who created and set the world in order is powerful. He loves His people and wants to be in relationship with us. I'm sure we don't see eye to eye on these things and that is ok, but thanks for reading. I appreciate constructive dialogue.

Tragedy: Floods, Earthquakes, Tsunamis, etc.

Tragedy is one of the hardest things to understand, whether it's murder, bombing, an earthquake, etc. We always wonder why God would allow something like that to happen to people. People often get confused because they hear how much God loves his people and all Jesus has done for us through His death on the cross, and then global and local tragedies occur that shake up our minds. As I am watching the news this morning and hearing all about the Tsunami around the globe these things came to mind.

I am not in any way saying that questioning God is a bad thing. Through questioning and digging deeper is when we begin to understand Him more. Neither am I saying you shouldn't be mourning your loss or confused why God might allow this happen. I am simply trying to provide some insight to those of you who might have these thoughts. There are a couple responses I have to this...

1. God is God and He can do as He wants
(Psalm 7:11) "God is a righteous judge, a God who displays His wrath every day."
(Jeremiah 10:10) "But the Lord is the true God; He is the Living God, the Eternal King. When He is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure His wrath."

God may just be angry towards a nation or people, and decide to pour out His wrath on them. He is God and is all-knowing and has dominion over everything. Therefore, He can do as He sees best. I know this may seem a little blunt and harsh, but it's truth and necessary to understand.

2. God is a jealous God
The Lord calls Himself a jealous God and describes Himself as jealous many times throughout scripture, here are some of them.
(Exodus 34:14) "Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, who name is Jealous, is a jealous God."
(Deuteronomy 4:24) "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."
(Deuteronomy 32:16) "They made Him jealous with their foreign gods and angered Him with their detestable idols."
(Nahum 1:2) "The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on His foes and vents His wrath against His enemies."

In these verses we see that God is jealous. In our culture today, jealousy is most of the time seen as a bad thing, causing fights and pain in relationships. Here, jealousy is a beautiful thing. God cares for us so much that He is jealous for His people. He desires communion and relationship with each of us so much that it greatly angers Him when we become His enemy or act like an enemy. Think about a time growing up or even recently where you were so jealous of someone for having the coolest car or boyfriend/girlfriend. Jealousy has such a strong pull on our actions. Now translate that to what is said above. God acts jealous toward us when we chose things over Him. How cool is it that the God of the universe cares so much that we have an intimate and honoring relationship with Him?

3. My last point is that if all things were perfect, then we wouldn't need God. If there was nothing that caused us to need and depend solely on the Lord, then we wouldn't need a God to depend on. A hard part of this life is understanding that we will go through times of trial and tribulation, but we must understand that we have a jealous God who is there for us every time we need Him. He is there no matter what we have done or what is going on around us. God is there, God is here among us.

My prayers go out to those suffering from this tragedy this morning and to those who may still be effected throughout the day.