The Answer To “Why?”
If our God is a sovereign God, that is, in absolute control of absolutely everything, which the Bible emphatically states, then His hand is on all things. But how is it on all things? Is He just the one relegated to putting an arm around one and all and comforting them, or did He actually cause any of it? Most would admit that He allowed it, but does that not imply He could have stopped it? He didn’t force the hijackers to do it, but He certainly knew they would—so why didn’t He stop it? Is He not a loving God? Of course He is, but many today have turned Him into a kindly old grandfatherly type who gives out nothing but candy and kisses. But He Himself said clearly, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.” (Isaiah 45:7 cf. 1 Kings 9:9) He creates evil? Remember—God’s ways are far above our ways. Things that seem evil to us can be used by a sovereign God for a greater good—a higher purpose.
Do you remember the story of Adam and Eve and their fall into sin? Genesis 3:24 tells us, “So He drove out the man(and the woman); and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” Boy, that sounds rather drastic—even mean. No, it was actually the mercy of God. If they had eaten of that tree, they would have lived forever…in their sin! Or what about the Flood? Genesis 6:5 tells us, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Forty days and forty nights, water from above and water from below, until the mountains themselves were covered. Imagine the carnage—bodies floating everywhere! Sounds absolutely evil, and yet, this is how God purged the earth of rampant sin—first the warning of 120 years of Noah preaching repentance and righteousness, and then came the judgment. In God’s mercy, the ark had room for many, but only eight received it. Remember—God will take nine steps toward us, but He will not take the tenth. He will incline us to repent, but He will not do our repenting for us.
Do you remember
In every one of these Biblical scenarios,
and many others not mentioned, God was graphically showing that He is God, and as such, is calling people
out of their sin and self-indulgence.
Yes, a loving God can do
that. You see, it is actually His mercy
that He goes to whatever extent He needs to in order to draw people to Himself now, while there is still time to
repent. If He were to just sit back and
ignore the sin, all would end up in
their sin, and therefore, in Hell. I know
that there is one thing that is confusing people and hindering them from seeing
the truth of these things. So often, in
our society today, people think that everyone is basically good, and therefore,
not worthy of judgment. To even speak of
sin, is considered by many to be “politically incorrect.” Before I delve into this, I need to be very clear about something. Not every tragedy that occurs is a personal
indictment against each person involved.
There were some in those buildings and planes who were born-again, that
is, Christian, surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and there were some
who were not. God’s judgment against sin
does not necessarily mean that these were worse sinners than others. Jesus said this clearly when another tower fell:
“Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower
in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men
that dwell in
Amazingly, much of our society continues
to thumb its nose at God. In 1962, we
began to kick God out of our schools by no longer allowing prayer in the
classrooms. By the way, these are the
same schools, which, when they started, had as their only text book for reading, the Bible. God continues to be defied as history books
are being re-written to exclude God and His role in the shaping of
society. In 1973, the cold blooded
murder of unborn babies became legal in this so-called Christian nation. Right here, in the “land of the free,” 4,000
are killed every day. Homosexuality has
been redefined—it is no longer sin and an abomination before God, but an alternative lifestyle! David Wilkerson, of
This is the mercy of God—He calls us to repentance now, and doesn’t just permit us to sit in our comfort zones,
confident that all is fine when it is not.
Many today think that they can just wait until the end, and as they
stand before God, they will beg for mercy and mercy will be given. No, it won’t!
The call to repentance goes out now, not then. Yes, many have turned to prayer, but is it
turning to the Lord in repentance and hatred for sin, or is it a prayer that
produces the greatest sin of all—pride? Much of the response to this tragedy can
be seen in prideful flag waving and shouts of “God Bless
Recently, it was announced that the military campaign in response to this horrific attack will be known as, “Operation Infinite Justice.” Ironic, isn’t it? Pray that the name that has been given to our retaliation will be a constant reminder that God alone is the only one with infinite justice. Sin must be paid for—the hijackers, who did what they did in order to get into “paradise,” are already in Hell, and all who continue to refuse to respond to God’s call for repentance, will be there eventually. This is His infinite justice AND His boundless mercy, for, today is the day of salvation. God said clearly, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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.” (2 Chron. 7:14) Please join us as we pray for those who lost loved ones, those who rescue and help, and especially those who lead—may one and all find counsel in God’s Holy Word, for He alone knows the end from the beginning. What has happened recently is tragic enough, without our adding to it by missing the message. Many lives were given—it won’t be wasted, but will it be wasted on you? Many lives were given—will yours be given to the Lord?