Wednesday
Jan052005
Back to normal?
Wednesday, January 5, 2005 at 12:37PM
Life has resumed its normal pace. It's good on one hand. I liked last week better, though. Time with family, sleeping in, more time reading - what's not to like? Underneath all of this is the sobering realization that still, for many, life is not well. It's hard for me to comprehend, still, the aftermath of the tsunami in Asia. I have no appetite for the theological debates on the tsunami either; maybe later. Insights, perhaps, but not debates. Even more sobering is the realization that while the tsunami is more dramatic, other crises (such as the AIDS pandemic) are even more devastating in this broken world:
...the bottom line is that this month and every month, more people will die of malaria (165,000 or more) and AIDS (240,000) than died in the tsunamis, and almost as many will die because of diarrhea (140,000).We have it well here, which is why we need prayer. C.S. Lewis wrote to a friend:
I specially need your prayers because I am (like the pilgrim in Bunyan) traveling across "a plain called Ease." Everything without and many things within are marvelously well at present.We need prayer, because things are well here, which might make us forget that this world (including us) is not well. Not yet, anyway.
Reader Comments (13)
The Baptist church in Cobourg had a sign saying something to the effect of "God Bless Cobourg in 2005." They, and Cobourg Town Council, received complaints because of the devastation in Asia. "How dare we pray for God's blessings when the victims of the tsunami need it so much?" Twisted thinking, in my opinion. I pray that God will continue to bless us, not for our gain, but so that we can pass it on and show His love to others.
I was watching John Stewart's satirical TV program last night and he was making fun of the show called "The View." Five women sitting around a coffee table often times pooling their ignorance and he shows a video clip of them. Apparently Star Jones had her honeymoon a month ago in south-east Asia (some Malaysian island I think, which is now deveated) and she pauses to go, "I bless God every day that it didn't happen last month," and all the woman go, "Wewww yeah." John Stewart stops the clip and deadpans, "Do you thank God every day for all the tens of thousands of people who died this month too !!"
I thank you for putting the numbers in perspective. In any case too many people die a nasty death every day ... thanks for cheering me up '-)
Even more sobering is the thought of where millions of souls will spend eternity. That is the most devatating news of any day. Sadly we have come quite comfortable with this fact... Jacob.
Amen to that Jacob. We, the followers of Jesus Christ have to all do our part to proclaim the Gospel, to call people to repent and surrender their lives to Him.
Well at least all the children will go immediately to be with God, but it's mysterious that He would kill all the nonchristian adults so suddenly. I guess it goes to show that the rest of the nonbelieving world shouldn't presume upon God's patient endurance while waits for them to repent.
Kim: I don't want to get into a theological battle here in the comments, but I think we need to show caution in how we interpret disasters like this one. Mark Roberts has an excellent series of articles that does a good job (http://www.markdroberts.com/htmfiles/resources/allthingsnew.htm). N.T. Wright (http://www.24-7prayer.com/cm/articles/628) says, "[The Bible] constantly acknowledges evil - 'human' and 'natural' alike - as a terrible reality. It doesn't try to minimise it, to explain that good will come of it, or to blame someone (reactions which correspond uncomfortably closely to the excuses offered by immoral or warmongering politicians). It tells a story about the Creator's plan to put the world to rights, a plan which involves a people who are themselves part of the problem as well as the bearers of the solution." Jacob and George: You are right that this is evidence of the brokenness that has entered the world and affected the earth and all people in it, and that ought to make a difference in how we see people, even people who aren't victims of a terrible disaster like this one.
Don't misunderstand I'm not trying to battle or anything. Again I conclude that this natual disaster is a mystery in so many ways but somehow God must be in control of it. This is clear in the Bible.
kim...i wrote about this a couple of days ago. for what's it worth you might want to head over to my blog and check the article out (sorry darryl for the personal plug). i will say this though, saying that this natural disaster is a mystery and that somehow God must be in control of it is a step in the right direction of having a proper view of the CREATOR. GOD allows things to happen and we might not always be capable of explaining them though some have tried and failed miserably. how we respond to something of this nature only represents how we view GOD to begin with. is HE in fact sovereign? than my life should reflect that trust in all areas. anyway, just rambling now. good thoughts from everyone else as well.
Kim, That is my Heavenly Father you are blaming for this catastrophe! Nowhere in the Bible do I ever find Him capable of such capriciousness. His mercies are new every morning. His Love never ends. His patience is everlasting. He is slow to anger and swift to bless. His goodness endures forever. It is, according to scripture, THE THIEF (who) comes to kill, steal and destroy, NOT God. Illness, disease, natural disasters, rape murder, slavery, and all other evil things in this world are a direct result of the Fall of Mankind. God is in the process of redeeming mankind from the consequences of that Fall. God will, also according to scripture, use this situation for His Glory. All things will work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. But to blame Him for it is like blaming the home-owner for allowing the arsonist to enter his home and set it on fire. Lousy analogy, but it is the best I can do on the spur of the moment. Sorry, Guys. I also do not want to start a theological debate here. I just hate it when my Heavenly Father is accused of doing something evil. And one final word: Kim, I love you with the Love of the Lord. Please do not take offense.
There's a series of articles on "Tsunamis, Suffering & Evil: How Can an All-Powerful, All-Knowing, Good God Allow It?" here: http://www.leaderu.com/focus/tsunamiandgod.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.leaderu.com/focus/tsunamiandgod.html
Hey Arthur I appreciate you sticking up for God but how do you explain these passages: "I am the Lord, and there is no other; I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things" (Is. 45:6-7). "Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that woe and well-being proceed?" (Lam. 3:37-38). "Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth. He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightening for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries" (Psalm 135:6-7). "Moreover, He called for a famine in the land; He destroyed all the provision of bread" (Psalm 105:16). It's clear to me that, in each of these passages, God is not merely shown to be the One who responds to tragedies and brings good out of them. And for sure He's not capricious. He is the One who causes them to occur, all for His own high purpose. And this should bring great comfort, because no matter what (or who) we see as their ultimate cause, tragedies do happen. How much better to understand that even in our greatest losses and most unbearable pain, God has a good purpose. And there are tons more. I think your view is simplistic.
I don't mind everyone expressing their opinions. In light of the tragedy, I want to avoid too much of a debate on the issue. Somehow it just doesn't seem like the right time to me. I struggle with the theological issues here. In the end, I don't pretend to know the mind of God. If God caused this, well, he is just in all he does. However, Scripture doesn't often explain God's mind or actions. We simply have no way of knowing. We do know that God's intentions for this world are ultimately good. Job's comforters were condemened for thinking they could explain God. Job was challenged by God to trust him, even when he couldn't explain him. Beyond that, I think we need to be sensitive. At funerals, I never get up and say, "They had it coming because they were such lousy sinners," even though I could make a theological argument for that position. Since we are talking about real people dying here, it seems to me that this isn't the best time to get too wrapped up in debate. Maybe later. A time of death is also a time for sensitivity.