(no subject)

[olde_fashioned]

I get emails every day, including one of BibleGateway's "Verse of the Day" subscriptions. Today's was some interesting food for thought that I couldn't put out of my mind, so I'm posting it here.

As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. - Ecclesiastes 11:5 (NIV)

We are all guilty of wondering, and even questioning why God allows certain things to happen. Why do bad things happen? In a word, because of sin. But God is supposed to protect us from these things, right? Why would He let people die, evil seemingly prevail, babies be murdered by their own mothers simply because they exist? Why does a professedly loving God allow war, famine, sickness, misery, abuse, torture, death? We, in all our profound wisdom, pass judgement on what we cannot see or even hope to understand, because it flies in the face of our earthly "wisdom".

I certainly don't have all the answers, but I do believe that all these things are not God's fault. He is faultless, blameless, perfect, or else He is not God, there is no salvation, no heaven, no Jesus dying for our sins, and we are in serious trouble. We are fallen, finite, and sinful beings. Evil exists on this earth because we let it. Every day we do something we know we should not do, myself included. And if we are not capable of preventing ourselves from committing something as simple as a "white lie", then who are we to judge the God on His standards?

If you're reading this and any of what I said touched a nerve, or intrigued you, then I would strongly advise you read Ken Ham's book How Could A Loving God...?, which answers the above questions and more significantly better than I could ever hope to.

Also, please remember my journal is not the place for your personal railings against my God. Respectful conversation is always welcome; vitriol is not.

Comments

[motionofmercy.livejournal.com]

Anne Graham may have answered it best after she was asked how could God let anything 9/11 to happen:

I believe that God is saddened by this just as we are. But for years we've been telling God to get out schools, our lives, our government. And being the gentleman that he is, I believe that God has calmly backed out.

People took what he provided us and made harmful things out of them, be it weapons of mass destruction, porn, and other things that we use to hurt each other and/or distance ourselves from God with.

Even natural disasters can be attributed to humans. We were warned and warned about global warming. I won't even get started on Congress other than to say I know spoiled two year olds that play nicer and are far more diplomatic than the majority of them.

God gave us the best self help book ever. Follow the guide accordingly and the less the devil will have to work with. If you don't follow it naturally bad stuff will increase. I have a feeling the way he could fix it is by taking away free will, but we would just end up whining about not having free will. XD Got to feel bad for God, it's a no win situation for him.

[olde-fashioned.livejournal.com]

I remember agreeing with that statement when I heard about it, and it never ceases to amuse me how people want nothing to do with God until things start going bad. They want to be in control of their lives, but when the going gets tough, it's suddenly His fault? It just doesn't work that way, peeps.

(And this is really off-topic, but that isn't Karen from The Office in your icon, is it??)

[motionofmercy.livejournal.com]

Same actress, wrong show. It's from her new show Parks & Recreation. The more I looked at it, the more I realize her shirt was see through. Very sorry about that. Re-watching the episode confirmed it. I remember when her character dressed and acted more appropriate, I miss those days.

I can remember the days when I would beg him to stop punishing me when really all the bad stuff was from horrible life choices I made. I have more peace now when obstacles happen. I just pray for guidance and support and I tell God I understand if he doesn't show his love in a more obvious way, it just means this is a test of faith, a lesson I need to learn.

It's also releasing control that we never really had in the first place. It's placing faith in God, who is the best above all to handle the situations the devil throws at us. Like today I was very worried about something I had to endure and I prayed to God right before I left that if it could go smoothly that it would great but if it didn't I understood, that it's out of my hands. I'm with him whether there is divine intervention or not.

It actually went really well until the end when my inner control freak started coming out, but God made sure that the people around me supported me even though I was letting that sinful fear get to me, even though I was basically not holding my end of the deal to put complete faith in him. All morning I was going ' There is a God and he was there for me this morning, this little speck of dust in this huge universe, this sinner.'

Sorry about the rambling, I tend to do that when it comes to things that mean a lot to me.

[olde-fashioned.livejournal.com]

Right, I knew it wasn't from TO; sorry if I was unclear. I was just too lazy to look her up and see what her name was, haha!

You've very eloquently put it better than I did. Usually I try to remind myself that "what will be, will be" and if it's meant to happen, then it will. Sometimes that helps...