O Lord, how long
shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make
me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise. So the law
becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous – therefore
judgment comes forth perverted. – Habakkuk 1:1-4 (NRSV)
The
question, “Why doesn't God put an end to all suffering, if God is good and
loving, and all-powerful?” is asked many times over. As pastor, I have been asked by a weeping
mother whose daughter was in the hospital, “She’s been a good girl – I don’t
understand why this is happening. How
can this be?” In light of the Sandy Hook
shooting many postings on Facebook demanded, “Where was your God in this?” Following Hurricane Sandy, the same was
wondered. Time and time again we want to
know where God is, why God allows this to happen, how can good people suffer –
especially those who follow Christ.
When
God gave to us the gift of Jesus Christ – Christ did not promise us there would
be no more pain, no more trouble, no more loss or sorrow. What he did promise is that he would be with
us to the ends of the age. While God
could stop all accidents and disease and suffering from happening, God’s way of
working in our lives is less direct than that.
God guides us through scripture and church and the people around us,
through the doctors and medicine and science and faith that help and sustain
us.
There
is no easy direct answer to the ultimate question we pose, but perhaps we can
find God’s presence through our faith, be comforted by this and know that God
is with us to the very end. Perhaps our
questions can be turned from, “Why do bad things happen in a world supposedly
ruled over by a good God?” to “How is it good things happen in a world of chaos
and violence?”
Lord, give me strength to see me through the trials
of my day. Let me be reassured in your
presence even and especially in the midst of troubled times. Patrick Schultz
