OPEN: A little girl came home from a neighbor’s house where her little friend had died.
"Why did you go?" questioned her father.
"To comfort her mother," said the child.
"What could you do to comfort her?"
"I climbed into her lap and cried with her."
APPLICATION: In this mother’s time of grief, this child knew what would bring comfort. She shared in the mother’s tears and sorrow. Sometimes, that’s what’s needed.
But there are times (when faced with unthinkable loss) those who grieve want something else… they want answers to questions they can’t understand. In the midst of tragedy… people ask questions.
The book of Job (for example) tells of the life of a man named Job who lost his possessions, his children and then his health in a series of catastrophes that left him grieving in the dirt outside his home. In the book of Job we find over 330 questions being asked of himself, his friends and his God.
As I’ve visited with people over the past couple of weeks, they’ve asked questions. All kinds of questions. And none of them were easy to answer.
Many of the questions reminded me of the mother who realized that her two boys were hearing things about our national tragedy at school & on TV. Setting down with them she began to talk
in broad strokes about bad people & bad things.
"Where was God?" the older boy asked.
"He was there," she answered.
The younger boy became angry and asked "Why didn’t God stop the bad people?"
Those are hard questions… and those are just a couple of the questions on people’s hearts. The answers to these questions will not remove our national sadness, nor will it bring those who have died back to life. But as Christians, we need to consider these questions seriously, because
there will be others around us will be asking questions like these – if they haven’t already.
I. Why did this have to happen? Where was God? Why didn’t He stop it?
The answer: I don’t know, and neither does anyone else.
Terrorism of this magnitude always happens in someone else’s country... not ours. Northern Ireland, Palestine, Africa, some S. American country… but not here.
The question on everyone’s mind is – why should this happen to us? We’re not like all those other countries. Why us?
Really, though, the question shouldn’t be why us?, but rather why not us? What is it about the United States that should exempt us from the same tragedies other nations have suffered?
Are we somehow better than all these other nations are?
There are those who will tell you that America is a great nation. And it is, it is THE superpower in the world today. And in many ways, America is a "good" nation, reaching out to other nations in very positive and commendable ways. I am grateful to be an American, part of a nation with wealth and freedom beyond anything before known in history. But there has been a growing apprehension among many people of faith, that America has increasingly grown more and immoral.
Not so long ago, Ruth Graham (the wife of Evangelist Billy Graham) commented: "If God doesn’t bring judgment on America soon, he will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah."
Why would she say that? What has been so terrible about the United States, that she would compare us to Sodom and Gomorrah? Some years ago Donald Wildmon, the founder of American Family Association wrote (commenting about the belief some have had that America was a "Christian nation"):
“The truth is we are anything but a Christian nation. Our behavior as a nation makes a mockery of Christianity. We lead the world in every abomination known to man - abortion, alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling, divorce, child abuse, violent crime, pornography, and yes, even child pornography. Worse yet, we export our violence and immorality to other countries through our sleazy movies and TV programs. We have become the moral polluter of planet earth.
In our schools we have abolished prayer, removed the ten commandments, and banned the distribution of Bibles. We have terrorized our teachers into believing they will lose their jobs if they mention God to their students. We have even mandated the teaching of evolution and have prohibited the truth of creationism. We are in the process of legalizing and encouraging sodomy. We are handing out condoms and needles to our youth.
"We are going out of our way to protect every expression of profanity and obscenity. America is thumbing its nose at God! The Supreme Court is in rebellion against God. Our Congress is hardened against God. Our Bureaucracy could care less about God. Our educational system has banned God."
That’s a terrible indictment against our nation… but it is none the less true and the description he gives of our moral status is worse than many of the nations God condemned in the Old Testament.
II. God has punished nations in the past for their immorality.
He did it to many of the nations in the days of the Old Testament… AND He even did it to Israel – His chosen people.
In our text from this morning, Solomon has just finished building the Temple. It was a massive and marvelous place to worship God. Those who saw it in its day, observed that as you approached Jerusalem, the Temple could be seen for miles away as the light of the sun reflected off of it and it literally sparkled with beauty.
AND the temple has barely been built when God fills it with His presence.
THEN God gives this warning to His own people: “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples” (II Chron. 7:19-20).
Joe Bowyer wrote in a recent commentary in the Pharaos Tribune: “God may not be dead, but does know how to turn a deaf ear on those who turn their backs on Him.”
III. As a result of this terrible terrorist attack on our nation is praying like it has not prayed for years. It is pleading with God for comfort, protection, and guidance. It is praying in the streets, in the schools, in congress. God’s hearing from people He hasn’t heard from in years.
And because of our nation’s reaction to this horror we might – we just might - stand a chance against the cowardly foe that we now face.
How should we pray? What type of prayer will get God’s attention for our nation?
As much as God may appreciate that our nation has deigned to accept a "moment of silence" type of prayer – that’s not the type of prayer that will get God’s attention for our nation. As much as God may endorse prayers that call upon God to "bless America" –that is not the type of prayer that God will listen for. The type of prayer that God will expects of His people will be a prayer of humility and penitence
In II Chronicles 6, Solomon prays a powerful prayer as he is conducting the ceremony to dedicate this great temple to God. He kneels down before all of Israel and amongst the things he prays:
"When they sin against you— for there is no one who does not sin— and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy… and if they have a change of heart… and repent and plead with you… and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly’; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul… then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you” (2 Chronicles 6:36-39).
And then God echoes back Solomon’s prayerful words in the 7th chapter of II Chronicles:
"When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
That’s the type of prayer we need to pray right now for our nation… LET US PRAY.
III. One last question that has been on the minds of some people has been: Is this the beginning
of the End???
Could it be that this is the signal for the fulfillment of all the prophecies Radio Preachers have been teaching about these last 50 years? Those who focus on End Times’ Prophecy have been quoting Daniel 8 and Matthew 24 and other passages and loudly proclaiming this will be the beginning of the events that lead to return of Christ.
I’d like nothing better. I say "Amen." I say "Come Quickly Lord, I’m ready to go" AMEN???
I’ve always maintained that Jesus would come before I’m 50 yrs old. That gives Him a little better than a year.
BUT, even if these events aren’t what some claim they are. EVEN if they aren’t part of some grand scheme on God’s part to bring about the fulfillment of the ages… You and I better be ready when He does come.
Paul wrote: "You know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."(1 Thessalonians 5:2b-3)
Peter wrote: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
(2 Peter 3:10)
When Jesus comes again, whether it’s tomorrow, next week, or 20 years from now, there will be no 2nd chance to repent. No 2nd opportunity to claim Him as our Savior. No final line up at the baptistery to obey Him for salvation. It will ALL be over before you can have a chance to say: "Whoa now, wait a minute – I wasn’t ready."
CLOSE: The story is told of a man who rushed into a suburban railroad station one morning and, almost breathlessly, asked the ticket agent: "When does the 8:01 train leave?"
"At 8:01," was the answer.
"Well," the man replied, "it is 7:59 by my watch, 7:57 by the town clock, and 8:04 by the station clock. Which am I to go by?"
"You can go by any clock you wish," said the agent, "but you cannot go by the 8:01 train, for it has already left."
God’s timing is moving forward hour by hour, minute by minute. There are multitudes who seem to think they can live by any schedule they choose. But, what the tragedy in New York and Washington has pointed out to some is it may be later than they think. AND soon it may be too late.
"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (II Corinthians 6:2)
