Why Tragedy

At the four year anniversary of "9/11", we still have that lingering question, "WHY?" Over the past few weeks, MANY are asking, "Why?", again. "Why would God allow such a tragedy as a hurricane to devastate so much and so many?"

You hear the question at church, on the street, on TV and just about any other place. Friends have lost loved ones. Parents have lost children. Good people have lost houses, jobs, etc.

The foundation of the question is more than simply wanting an answer. The question is a round about way of crying out, "If God is God, why doesn’t He do something?" Or a quiet way of others saying , "This proves there is no God, because a good God would not, nor could not allow such havoc!" ETC.

Psalms 2:1 Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed,

Even before "9/11" and the devastating of the Gulf Coast storm, the ever present question was on the minds of many. All of these questions and many more, have their "understanding" in the same basic elements. Some of those elements are:

(1) The nature and character of God

(2) The purpose and plan of God

(3) The nature and degeneration of mankind

(4) The spiritual condition of the one asking the question

(5) Etc.

These are questions that find their answers in our present study of "The Essence of God" and "The Soul of Mankind". These doctrinal truths are not dry theology, they are the "meat and potatoes" of living and having an understanding of events around us, AND the ability of cope with those events.

It is not a lack of spiritual quality to ask "why?", or even "Why me?" It does show a lack of spiritual quality when the questioners do not seek nor will they accept God’s answer. In many situations, the questioners do not understand the real meaning of an answer.

Answer = (Webster) Something spoken or written in reply

Answer = (Hebrew) To eye or to heed, i.e. give attention; (by implication) To respond; (by extension) To begin to speak

Answer = (Greek) A separation or distinction; To begin to speak, but always where something has preceded, either a statement or act to which the remarks refer; To answer by way of making a defense for oneself

In frustration, we ask for "answers". Yet, answers are not really what we want. As we see by the definitions, in almost any language, an answer simply means a reply.

I have a little quip I often use when someone wants an answer. I say..., "I have all the answers...., some of which are right."

There are very few "answers" in the Bible, OR maybe I should say, answers of the nature we want. It is strange how we treat and evaluate God’s answers.

We pray for two new cars, a boat, a "hog" and an RV, and God answers with "NO!!" In our twisted thinking of God and His person, we do not consider a "NO!!" as an answer.

Somehow when we make a request of God, the ONLY answer we accept, as honest, is "Yes, my child. I’ll give you whatever you ask, and I’ll do so right away. If there is anything else, please call!" When it comes to answers that we will accept from God, as answers, there are not many of those kinds of answers in the Bible. However, the Bible does give us understanding, reason, a plan of action and hope

Some will ask, "Why didn’t a loving powerful God stop this tragedy?" or "How could a loving God do this?" As though God was up in heaven just trying to figure out ways to make mankind miserable.

When a person wants to "look" spiritual, they might modify that to...: "How could a loving God ALLOW this to happen?" Still others will simply say, "See, this proves there is no God."

These questions are very similar to, "Why did God allow that other person to win the lottery, and I am left with this worthless piece of paper?" It was not God Who deprived the person of the winnings, it was the "odds". These are part of the natural laws that keep this ol’ world running.

The subject matter of the question about the lottery may be different, BUT the dynamics, of most "why" questions, are the same. In effect and in the back of our minds, we are saying that God is not fair, just, etc. Questions such as these are born out of frustration, because we cannot understand, or will not seek information needed to understand why there is evil and tragedy in the world.