Christian Message Boards: How would you answer this question ???

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Posted by Just Passing Through (Member # 1864) on :

I am in Florida and jst went through a big storm ( Charlie ) we were 50 miles from the eye and no damage. I had prayed before storm hit, for God to protect me and my family----HE DID----Ok over on the coast I am sure there wrer many prayers also---BUT THEY WERE HIT HARD----So m friend and I were talking and I was asked why some prayers were answered and some were not.I dont know how to answer her.Please help me----Thanks--Gail

Posted by SciptureAndPrayers (Member # 3633) on :

JPT,

Living in western New York, where the worst natural disasters we experience are blizzards and ice storms, I realize that I can't fully appreciate the immense effects of a hurricane or its effects on the people and property in its path.

Your question reminds me of one that I frequently encounter, effectively asking 'Why does God let bad things happen to good people?' Also, in the case of war, it is often asked 'If two nations are at war, and both are supposed to be Christian nations, how can people on both sides pray to God to lead them to victory against the other side?'

I think that first of all it's a mistake to assume that God 'lets' things happen in the sense of a deliberate refusal to intervene. When Christ, on the cross, said 'It is finished', I believe that He was saying that God had completed His work in terms of reconciling mankind to Himself. That is not to say that from that point on He was no longer involved in human affairs. God forbid. It would make no sense to reconcile us and then ignore us. My point is that once Christ ascended into heaven, God had completed the most important work ever to be done in favor of mankind. Nothing He did before, and nothing that He's done after impacts our fate as much as His work on the Cross.

Nevertheless, we, as His kingdom on earth, are still living in a physical, natural realm. We are still vulnerable to the persecutions of evil men as well as the indiscriminate persecutions of nature. Even if God didn't exist, if Christ had never brought about our deliverance, evil men and indiscriminate nature would still be here; there would still be wars, people would still die in natural disasters, automobile accidents, and so forth. It isn't that God cares about some of His people and not about others, or that He's lost interest altogether, as some would say, that he hears some prayers and not others.

To satisfy the expectations that so many people have of God, because He is a loving god, we would have to live in a world where nothing bad ever happened to anybody at any time. Unfortunately, we're not ready for that world yet. We as Christians are not called to follow a Utopian ideal, but to follow Christ, exclusively. We are called to follow Him and to imitate Him. Just as He suffered, we will suffer. Just as He was hated, we will be hated. Just as He found solace and comfort in His Father, so shall we find it in Him. Life is unpredictable and we live in a dangerous world. But if we are to follow the straight and narrow path, we can expect at some points to be proven in the fire. Hardship builds strength and character. Yet, in the midst of all our troubles, Jesus is there with us--He never leaves our side. And we have the constant comfort of the Holy Spirit.

I'm very sorry for the suffering, sorrow, and distress that those people and families affected by the hurricane are experiencing. I could not consider myself a child of God if I did not feel a deep compassion for each and every one of them. But even in the worst times of our lives we have to look past our circumstances and trust God and His purposes above all else.

[Cross]

Posted by Just Passing Through (Member # 1864) on :

thank you, I kinda think I understand.