Everyone knows that there are terrible things happening in this world all the time, but what I can’t seem to find an answer to is where is God when people really need him the most?
Let me mention an example, which I happened to see on catchup TV last night. The documentary was about people (mostly women and children) captured by the so-called Islamic State. The documentary was a couple of years out-of-date but it was following the incredibly-brave men who were literally risking their lives to rescue some of the captives taken by the terrorists and it made the point that the window of opportunity to rescue anyone was closing fast. What really upset me was hearing about girls as young as 6 being raped and girls being forced into “marriage” at 9 years of age. Two of the girls successfully rescued were just turning 9, so they only got them out just in time and were able to re-unite them with what remained of their families. But what of the many others that didn’t make it? My question is, why does God not prevent these poor people and especially the children from suffering such heinous crimes at the hands of those monsters? This leads on to where was God when the likes of Hitler were slaughtering the innocents? Where was he when the people in Grenfell Tower in London were recently being choked to death by thick black smoke or waiting to be burned alive, just like they were at the time of the twin towers attack? Where was he when the suicide bomber struck in Manchester, killing lots of children or the terrorists were running people over in the streets of London and other European cities? Looking at these events or worse still, being caught up in them, one could easily conclude that God, if he exists at all, doesn’t care about our suffering because he doesn’t seem to want to help those in most need. Yes, I realise that we live in a fallen world, but it does seem that since Jesus left to ascend to heaven we have largely been left to our own fate. I further realise that many of the things I have mentioned are man-made, but one could cite many that aren’t (e.g., diseases like the plague and smallpox) and whether they originate from man or other sources, the suffering they inflict is the same. It’s hard enough trying to comprehend all this when one does believe in God, but how would you explain this to someone who doesn’t believe in God in the first place?
Let me mention an example, which I happened to see on catchup TV last night. The documentary was about people (mostly women and children) captured by the so-called Islamic State. The documentary was a couple of years out-of-date but it was following the incredibly-brave men who were literally risking their lives to rescue some of the captives taken by the terrorists and it made the point that the window of opportunity to rescue anyone was closing fast. What really upset me was hearing about girls as young as 6 being raped and girls being forced into “marriage” at 9 years of age. Two of the girls successfully rescued were just turning 9, so they only got them out just in time and were able to re-unite them with what remained of their families. But what of the many others that didn’t make it? My question is, why does God not prevent these poor people and especially the children from suffering such heinous crimes at the hands of those monsters? This leads on to where was God when the likes of Hitler were slaughtering the innocents? Where was he when the people in Grenfell Tower in London were recently being choked to death by thick black smoke or waiting to be burned alive, just like they were at the time of the twin towers attack? Where was he when the suicide bomber struck in Manchester, killing lots of children or the terrorists were running people over in the streets of London and other European cities? Looking at these events or worse still, being caught up in them, one could easily conclude that God, if he exists at all, doesn’t care about our suffering because he doesn’t seem to want to help those in most need. Yes, I realise that we live in a fallen world, but it does seem that since Jesus left to ascend to heaven we have largely been left to our own fate. I further realise that many of the things I have mentioned are man-made, but one could cite many that aren’t (e.g., diseases like the plague and smallpox) and whether they originate from man or other sources, the suffering they inflict is the same. It’s hard enough trying to comprehend all this when one does believe in God, but how would you explain this to someone who doesn’t believe in God in the first place?
