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Where is God?

March 30, 2020 | Brad Thompson

About this post: We want to stay connected! This blog post is part of a series of daily devotionals for this season. Read them, share them, and pray that they bring God's peace and love to our communities. To sign up to receive text notification of these posts, text zpc to 39970. We welcome your comments and questions each day.

About the author: Brad and his wife Betty are members at ZPC. They have two adult sons – in Chicago and Detroit—and a grandson on the way. Brad has been involved in the justice ministry at the church.

Today's Scripture: Psalm 10:1

There is no shortage of prophets on the Internet. There are people predicting the coronavirus will kill millions of people, and cost us trillions. Personally, I have no idea what the future holds. But I know it’s serious.

When a natural disaster strikes (for example, a tsunami kills 225,000 people or thousands of people lose their homes and perhaps their lives in an earthquake or a hurricane), it is only natural to ask where is God? We as believers have always been challenged by The Problem of Evil.

Psalm 10:1 records this concern: “Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”

It’s a complicated problem, but in my mind I start with the following 4 propositions: 

  1. Adam and Eve chose to sin. Original Sin is a product of free will. There are books written on the importance to God of preserving free will. Free will is what makes us human, and lovable.
  2. The earth we live in is cursed as a consequence of that Original Sin. Genesis 3:17. Original Sin is the origin of evil on earth.
  3. God is good. Luke 18:19.
  4. God is all-powerful. He could stop evil if he wanted to. The fact that he doesn’t stop it means he doesn’t want to. 

So why would God, who is good, not want to stop evil such as natural disasters? 

  1. You can argue that God wants to preserve free will and the consequences of choices made, and so he may not wish to intervene to reduce the consequences of Original Sin. That’s plausible.
  2. But it may also be that God simply finds value in the existence of evil in the world. That value could include four benefits:
    1. Forcing us to live in community and to help and care for one another. While we are practicing social distancing because we care about one another, hopefully we are not ignoring one another. We simply have to help each other in smart ways to make sure, for example, that the elderly are safe but not socially isolated.  Think also of those heroes in our society who are providing patient care at great personal risk. Evil creates need, and need creates the opportunity for love and help. God can, and does, bring great good out of terrible tragedies. Romans 8:28.
    2. Forcing us to understand that death, which may be the end result of evil, is a fact of life. The existence of death means that we all have to live deliberately. We have to make choices that have consequences. A natural disaster can make us rethink how we choose to live.
    3. Forcing us to understand that we have no power or control, and the only way truly that we can live is by depending on God. The presence of great evil beyond what we can defend against causes us to reach out to God in weakness, and ask for the help we need.
    4. Forcing us to believe that death is not the end, but a beginning. The true pain of death is not to the one who dies, but to the ones who live on. We all will die. Death around us becomes a test of our faith.  Do we believe that Jesus has prepared a place for us – and our loved ones – in his father’s house? The presence of Evil can help build faith.

I’m not saying we should love evil. God certainly doesn’t. But evil plays a role in his plan. And he will use it ultimately for the benefit of his children.

Activity

You may have to turn off the TV for this one (or only watch the last five minutes of the news), but find the good around you. While the world is a fallen place, there is much good to observe, even from home if you have an Internet connection. 

Extra credit: Do some good. Perhaps help your neighbors during this difficult time. Shopping for an elderly person, or financially help those who have lost their jobs or businesses. Consider tipping for carry out food, even if you don’t normally.  It will make Jerry smile, if nothing else.

Prayer

Lord,
Please help us see your presence in this fallen world through the good deeds of others, and please use the challenges we face to help us build our faith.

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