Let me be the first to say it's not my intention to presume the reasons for our Father's actions because one fact I've learned well is that His ways are far above our ways. However, God does ask that we study His Word in the Bible to try and make sense of what it says and how it applies to our everyday lives.
With this in mind, there is a question that has been asked more than enough times over the years. This question has burned its way into my conscience because it grates on my faith in our Father and tears at the kind and loving image I possess of Him. The question: If God does exist and He is our loving Father, why does He allow the atrocities that have happened and continue to happen in this world?
Good question. One that I've heard asked repeatedly by many people and one that I've wondered about for many years. During these years, I've read the Bible from beginning to end many times over and admittedly, the Bible is a LOT of book to digest! It takes years of studying in every way imaginable before even a morsel of true understanding can be gained. One of the first things that struck me was the stories about the relationship between our Father and the chosen race of people at that time: the Israelites (or the Jews as they are more commonly known). There was a recurring pattern that happened over . . . and over . . . and over . . . and over again (I'm being purposely redundant because I want to note the repetition involved): God cradles His children and lovingly cares for them. For a time, the children bask in His warmth and love. The children then leave the haven created by our Father to observe and participate in other lifestyles. God warns them about the trouble this will bring but the children continue doing what they want to do anyway. The children get into trouble and cry out for our Father to save them. God saves them and brings them back to their rightful place . . . and then the exact same pattern of behavior starts all over again.
True, this story is about the Israelites but my understanding is that they were chosen by our Father to represent the relationship between God and the human race. And you know what? We still do the same thing today that the Israelites did then because we are still just as stubborn as they were thousands of years ago. Our Father has given us free will, the right to make our own choices and more times than enough, we make the wrong choices. And God has tried to tell us that our choices bring about definite results; results that turn into negative consequences and history has proven that the human race has always had a tough time making the right choices. And you know what else? We continue to make bad choices because we're too stubborn and arrogant to admit when we've made a bad choice in the first place! Instead, we prefer to tell ourselves that we made a right choice, that it was the other fellow that made the wrong choice. Do you recognize this scenario? Yes, the old "passing the buck" theme. In addition to this, we don't listen very well because we think we know it all already.
Then I came across Romans 1:28 (KJV):
"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind . . .".
It is important to note that this passage refers to the people of that time. It states that our Father decided that since His people continued to ignore Him, He left them alone so they could freely follow their own ways. However, this passage also led me to think about parents and children: kind, loving parents strive to continually teach their children about right and wrong and many times, these teachings begin to mimic a broken record because parents end up teaching the same lesson(s) over . . . and over . . . and over again (sound familiar?). Then there comes a point in time when the children reach adulthood and if the children are STILL making the SAME errors that their parents have repeatedly warned against, the parents come to a point of throwing up their hands and saving their breath. It's now time for the children to learn about the consequences of their decisions/choices and the only way that's going to happen is if the parents let go and allow them to go their own way.
I believe this is what our Father has done. He's allowing us to make our own choices and decisions so we can witness firsthand the results it brings. And we now have a pretty good picture of the resulting effects of these choices on the world in which we live. I believe that the chaos and havoc that now abounds is the direct result of seven billion people making their own decisions and most people have made their decisions after having cut God out of their lives. WITHOUT God, there is no absolute right and wrong. Instead, everything is relative, decided according to each person's belief and opinion and therefore, we lose sight of what's truly right and wrong according to God's definitive laws. So all seven billion of us are running around trying to find our own way, and we're acting according to what each of us thinks. Most assuredly, when this many people decide to go their own ways doing things the way they each want to do it, inevitably there will be major conflicts. Oh what a tangled web we weave! So now, everything is just one big mess, isn't it???
However, I also believe that like those loving parents, God doesn't leave His children completely on their own. If we rid ourselves of pride, ego and the accompanying arrogance, and return to Him for His Divine Guidance, He DOES see us through. Yes, I believe our Father still intervenes in all of our lives, mostly in microscopic ways that require us to "Be Still" and know that He is God. Stay tuned for more to come . . .
For more pertinent and interesting reading regarding the human experience, also visit my other blog site called The Origin of Disease and read my other articles entitled A Tribute to Man and Woman: The Odd Forgotten Breed, The Day the Earth Stood Still: Anyone Familiar with This Movie? and Creation vs. Evolution.
Also, remember to visit my website entitled The World . . . or God for urgent information regarding all of our futures!
