The Word This Week – DO WE HAVE AN ANSWER WHEN THE INNOCENT PERISH?

1 Dec 2014 by Reverend Dr Jai Kumar –

 

LIFE IS UNFAIR

Why is life so unfair? From generation to generation mankind has been struggling with this issue which indeed is a mystery to the human mind. The more we try to crack open this puzzle the more confusing and complicated it has become.

A jet aircraft fully loaded with nearly 300 men, women and children plunges into the ocean minutes after takeoff. All on board are lost. A wide range of people were on board. There were people from half a dozen nations, there were many children. A good number were Christians–most of them had prayed for a safe journey moments before takeoff.

 

 

How do we handle the news when a close young friend or relative has just been killed in an terrible accident, or taken from us by a sudden illness—just when everything seemed all set up for their happiness and well-being it all ends abruptly and suddenly?  A married man suddenly killed in a plane crash leaving a young wife and four small children behind. Why? Why, O God we ask?

On the contrary we see crooks, unbelievers and wicked people who live to be 90 and over apparently happy and without any conviction. There are people who thrive around like agents of satan infusing corrupt ideologies contrary to God’s ways. What we witness in our world today is injustice and unfairness. The system and institutions we live in is obviously questionable and unfair. Money which is the root of all evil corrupts every level of living.

 

 

One would easily conclude life is so unfair and yet why is God not there to act. Just when we desperately seek answers in disaster or crisis we only hear silence and the heavens seems closed to us. Where is justice and where can we find peace, hope, and content in such an uncertain and unjust world?

The question we often ask is ‘What went wrong?’. Where was God when 9/11 happened? Did He lose control? Was God powerless to intervene?

Was God so busy with other affairs that He overlooked these awful tragedies? Why is He so uninvolved, so seemingly remote and uncaring? Does He lack the power or motivation to prevent disasters? Is He arbitrary and cruel? Do some things get out of even His control?

 

RELIGION JUDGES

There is a religious norm that has been prevailing in this world that God punishes the innocent for the sins of the guilty? For every problem or crisis there seems to be a quick reason, a quick judgment that is always given as a cause for it. But the truth of God’s word says the son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son (Ez.18:20)

Have you ever discovered that popular worldly opinion seems to be very prevalent in times of crisis or disaster? It seems to be selling well in the market today. They call it an “act of God”.

 

 

There are a lot of people who play God in a crisis. There are a lot of people who become a spokesman for God when a problem occurs. They not only make God in their own image and level, they also seem to be able to read God’s mind in their own thinking and come out with answers to every crisis and every disaster that happens around the world.

They fail to understand that God is unlike us. Have you ever realized that humans can never do anything without a reason or a purpose because we are designed to act like that? But God is unlike us. He doesn’t need a reason or a purpose to do anything.  God is beyond the human brilliance! Just like He blessed Abraham: “As for me I will bless you and make you a great nation”. Abraham had done nothing to deserve that blessing. He was no special person! You see we often forget and we presume God works in the same way as we operate and that’s the danger in humans. We reduce Him down to our human level and we try to read Him.

 

Isaiah 55:8-

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 

HIS STEADFAST LOVE NEVER FAILS

But the fact of the matter is that God’s character never changes. From everlasting to everlasting He is the same God. Yesterday today and forever He is the same God (Heb.13:8). Merciful, gracious, long suffering and abounding in steadfast love. There is absolutely no way we can interpret Him in any other way. So whoever you are, if your understanding of God is in a different limelight of opinion you ought to change your thinking immediately.

The prophet Jeremiah says, “This I recall to mind and therefore I have hope : because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassion never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam 3:21-23)

 

 

Jesus said in John.10:10

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

 

GOD IS OMNIPOTENT, OMNISCIENCE AND OMNIPRESENT

God knows everything. He is responsible for everything that happens on earth and in heaven. You see God is God! He doesn’t need to explain to you why He is doing certain things in the world. He is not obligated to explain to you. Our comfort in the here-and-now comes from knowing the Lord personally, from appreciating His character in day-to-day experience.

 

UNTIL THE END GOD NEVER EXPLAINED TO JOB WHY HE SUFFERED

The reality of the story of Job is that God allowed Job’s suffering as a test and as a means of deepening Job’s character and relationship with God. There was no relationship between Job’s suffering and his standing before God and his moral behaviour. He was blameless from start to finish. Yet Job said: “Though you slay me, yet I will trust in you.” ( Job 13:15)

 

 

This example tells us that we can easily rush to unwarranted conclusions when adversity happens to an individual or a group of people. Although God restored and blessed Job double of what he lost but the fact of the matter is that until the end Job never knew why he suffered. Interestingly Job never chased after the answer when he met God after all. In fact Job saw himself so tiny in the midst of such a great and universal God. Job answered the Lord in Job 40:3-4: “I am unworthy – how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I will say no more”.

 

Job 42:3

I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.

 

In Verse 6, Job said

‘Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes’.

 

WE DON’T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS

When Billy Graham was asked by some family members of the Oklahoma City bombing victims, “Why did God let this happen?”, he humbly replied, “I don’t know”. There are a lot of questions we don’t have answers to. We don’t understand fully. Paul says, ‘We only know in part at the moment’.

 

1 Cor.13:9-12

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known”.

 

But the problem with humans is that we tend to jump the gun so often, speculating and quick to give answers to everything that happens. Even more disappointing are Christians who are so quick to arrive at reasons for crisis. Let us not act as though we know more than we do.

 

 

One thing you and I can be sure of, God is too wise to make a mistake and too good to do anything bad. So trust Him even when a situation is so confusing and unreasonable, illogical and doesn’t make sense. You know what? Despite what you experience He is yet worthy to put your hope upon.

God is love. We are not under the old ‘reward and punishment’ physical contract of the Law. God does not punish us. We are under the covenant of grace. To understand however why bad things still happen; ‘why do the innocent perish in an untimely and unfair manner?’. The fact of the matter is we don’t really know!! One has to also understand that there is a war being mopped up behind the scenes, in a realm we cannot really fathom as well with the tiny wisdom that is available to us at the moment. The fact is we are still living in a fallen world.

 

Rom.8:35- 39

 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or nakedness or persecution or famine or danger or sword? As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is CHRIST Jesus our Lord”

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight”

 

Note: Rev Dr Jai Kumar is an ordained & licensed minister of Covenant Ministries International N.J. USA. He is also the representative of Faith International Bible School for Malaysia & Singapore. He is the founder and senior pastor of Full Gospel Outreach Ministry KL, a member of ECCM, Spiritual Adviser & overseer of Capstone Ministries/Capstone Community Church -C3 (Bangalore); Co-founder and adviser of Kingdom Christian Fellowship, Subang Jaya, he is also the author of a book entitled, ‘God’s Time Clock.’

 

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