Questions of God

My entire life, I have heard questions concerning God.
Sometimes, these were serious questions from strong believers; at other times they were questions of ridicule or jest from people who did not know what to believe or in whom.

A long time ago, when I was a young Chaplain who thought he had all his theological ducks in a row, I remember a pre-teen child in a hospital bed whom had been severely burned in a house

fire.
The fire started from, the investigators believed, a cigarette that was carelessly dropped when her father fell asleep.
This young lady was the only person to escape the fire alive; it had let it's internal mark as well as external. Covered in tissue forming scars, when she exhaled - I could smell smoke and residue remaining in her lungs.

I wondered...how could this happen?

Not long after that event, I remember being called out to a drive-by shooting in which a thirteen-year old girl had been killed; the bullet penetrated through the walls and into her chest.
There were over 15 girls having a sleepover that night; but she was the only one injured in any way.
At least 100 shell casings remained on the ground; marking them with business cards folded into a small tent over them, I thought - why did this happen?

Then, a few years later, I sat listening to a radio in my office.
In the news had been reports of airline pilots being caught drinking while flying; then the talk show personality came across the air, interrupting his own show and stated that it seemed that a jet had flown into a building in Manhattan. 
I thought it was a drunk pilot.
But I was wrong.

As September 11, 2001 unfolded, myself and the entire country seemed to speak with one voice to God → Why didn't you do something?

These questions are simple; their answers can be complex.
But to put it simply, 'If God really cares, why doesn't He just fix all the things that are wrong with life and with the world?'

Some might say that these things happened because the individuals didn't have enough faith. 
But I would not want to be the one who said that statement to the mother of the teenage girl who hosted that sleepover so many years ago.

Quite simply, this is not an issue concerning one's personal faith.

No, these questions are at the very heart of what it means to believe, if at all.
They cannot be written off with a joke, or a bumper sticker that tells us to 'Trust Jesus.'
Instead, these issues arise in every heart of every man or woman, whether they are strong believers or simply curious concerning the faith. 

What would happen if God stepped into our world daily?
What if we had absolutely no doubt what God's will for our lives might be?
Without speculation, what would it be like if God made His power known to everyone; believers and skeptics alike?

Well, He already has...at least twice.

The first time was in the Exodus from Egypt.
Using this historical event as a guidepost for insight, we'll soon find out that God's intervention does not always produce the response we would hope from ourselves or one another.

University of Louisville Hospital

The girl who had endured the fire and nearly died from smoke inhalation, truly struck me to the soul back then. Before that episode, I had never seen a person who was so badly burned and still alive.
Seeing something of such horror makes a person question the fairness of God; if such things are continually witnessed and endured, it will lead you to a cold or callousness which will cause one to question the very justness of God.

I imagine, the way most people ponder this thought is through the age old question: 

'Why do good things happen to bad people, and why do bad things happen to good people?'

Certainly, I cannot answer such a broad question; I'm not a theologian, I'm just a seeker and follower of God's Truth. 
But I can see in the passages concerning the Exodus that once Israel had left Egypt, they entered a Covenant with God, which basically resulted in a form of behavior modification.
God stated, 'If you do these things, you will prosper.' In fact, God promised that by obeying Him, Israel would always been 'above the nations.' They would never lose a battle in war, no one would ever get sick by disease and crops would never fail.
Yet, if Israel failed to uphold their end of the Covenant, disaster loomed.

And as we read the account from Scripture, we soon learn that Israel had the absolute worst time keeping the Covenant and the Law God would hand them in the desert. 
In fact, 50 years after leaving Egypt and entering into the Promised Land, Israel had slunk into virtual Anarchy.
Thereafter, most of the Old Testament is an account of Israel's disobedience with a few shining lights attempting to restore the people of God to the One True Faith.

In Seminary, one of the first classes I endured was an Old Testament Survey class by one the the Godliest men I've ever met, Dr. Thomas Smothers.
I remember for the first week or so, he taught us a lot about the Canaanite Religion; he would return to that theme often when speaking of Israel.
Shortly, I learned the reason → The Israelites followed the Canaanite faith more than they followed the true faith that had witnessed and agreed to while witnessing supernatural events.
But I digress.

You see, Jesus came to establish the New Covenant because from the time of Exodus until John the Baptist, humanity proved through Israel we could not live up to God's standards or even His basic expectations.
We are too fallen; His image within us is too marred.
Therefore, we need another way → Jesus providing the way by His grace.

Secondly, we think of God when we believe He is quiet or when perceiving His 'inactivity.'

When people come to a difficult place in their life, they often times want clear-cut evidence of God's will.
I have literally heard men cry out to God, through tears and pain, screaming at the top of their lungs for a sign or a thunderous shout from heaven.

At this point, I must admit, I am very skeptical about people who say that they've heard from God; especially when it is hidden in "church-speak.'
Phrases such as, 'I felt the Lord tell me in my heart...' or 'At that, God spoke to me...'
While I will agree this does and can happen, it has been my experience that God gets the blame for a lot of things that He's not even involved with; therefore, I am skeptical when a person tells me that they've heard from God and now knows His will.

Now, at the Exodus, God's will was indeed ever-present.
There was never a question about what God wanted the Israelites to do; all they had to do if they had a question concerning His will was simply look outside.
God put His cloud outside of Israel's camp, if it moved, they were to move; if God's cloud stayed put, they were to stay in the camp and not go anywhere.

Later, the visible reminder of God was codified into 613 laws, given by the hand of God Himself through Moses to the people.
And His Law covers everything imaginable, such as sexual relations, purification rituals, how many days to work in a week, what to eat, even warfare rules were in place.

The people had no doubt at any time concerning what God wanted them to do in life; it is the very thing that Christians today say they want - God to simply tell them what He wants.
But did the clouds or the Law increase the obedience of the people?

No.
Even in knowing exactly what God wanted, they still failed.

The Israelites marched when they were told to stay, stayed when told to go, fought instead of making peace and made peace with those whom they were to fight to the death.
Truthfully, they could bend the rules God had established better than anyone else who has ever lived.

All of this tells us one thing: Having established rules which clearly detail God's will, does not help humanity grow spiritually or dependent upon God because the one thing we see in Israel is the lack of spiritual development.
When God is so evident, when He is ever-present and predictable, it eliminates the need for faith.
And we know from Scripture, without faith it is impossible to please God.


As I stood outside the residence which had been sprayed by an Uzi or MAC-10, given the 9mm shell casings, others audibly said, 'Where was God this morning?'
Years later, the whole nation wondered the same sentiment when the twin towers were hit.

It doesn't have to be a tragic evident like each of us were witnessing in that moment; with everyday things that happen in our lives, we wonder 'Where is God?' from time to time.

For people who believe and even more so for those who hunger for solutions in their lives, we want proof that God is living and acting on behalf of humanity in a positive way.

Returning to the account of the Exodus, we are told that Moses was unlike any other person in his relationship with God; he spoke to God as one would speak to a friend.
Moses would go into a tent, speak with God, the people were afraid to come near during that holy time; then Moses would emerge with his face glowing so brightly that the people had to cover it with a veil.

I can promise you one thing about those meetings; there was not one atheist in the Israelites' camp because they saw the reality and presence of God.

And yet, the first time Moses draws away and meets with God on Mount Sinai, what did the people do?
They built a Golden Calf to worship; having Aaron, Moses' brother fashion it out of their gold.
These were the same people who witnessed the plagues, were delivered through the Red Sea and tasted heavenly manna each morning.

Still, their disobedience was as great or greater than that of ours today; idolatry being a spiritual smack in the face to our holy God.

Knowing these things, I have reached a conclusion concerning what people say they want in their times of trial or non-believers clamoring for so that they might have evidence so they are able to believe.

There was no cosmic hide-and-seek games; God was evident.
He spoke. He entered human life. His will was clear.
These are the very things modern man claims He desires and even needs.

Yet, God's involvement produced the exact opposite effect  on Israel; it is the same involvement many today say that will give us greater surety and hope.

Would such involvement help today?
Would it help people believe or even strengthen or encourage those who already believe?
I doubt it, and if it did, it probably wouldn't be in the way God desires from humanity.

Yet, God has not withdrawn.

Earlier I spoke of there being at least two ways God has involved Himself in human affairs.
The first was clearly in the revelation of the early Covenants and the Law; these were perfect revelations for imperfect humanity.
As a result, humanity failed to draw near to God and spiritually develop as the Lighthouse for the Nations as He intended.

The second time God intervened boldly with humanity was through the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
God became man, entered human flesh and walked among us.
Instead of pronouncing great commandments from God, Jesus opened His arms full of grace and compassion and mentioned only two commands to follow:

"Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength."

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

On these, Jesus said, hang the entirety of the Law and the Prophets.
But we still have a difficult time living and obeying even these two simple commands of God.

So, God did something unheard of; something no right thinking person on earth ever expected.
The Eternal Son of God, in human flesh, died in a manner by which all of humanity's sin were thrust into Him as if He had committed every one of them Himself.

In return, if a person trusts that particular sacrifice of God, then the individual receives Christ's righteousness as if they were the Lord themselves. 

It is at this point, it must be admitted, that I do not know how all of these spiritual and theological truths work themselves out into the reality of our lives; however, I do know that this is how it works.
I cannot explain Physics either, but I do know the laws of physics are reality. Just because we cannot fully explain something has no bearing on whether or not it is true.

In the same manner, this is the truth of God taking away our sin and giving us His life.
As a result, the one who believes inherits eternal life.

Due to the fact that our human minds cannot explain this in totality, only why it works; I believe this is a positive, an advantage over OT Israel.
You see, one of the reasons Israel failed was because there was no spiritual growth, no need for faith. With God still ever-present, albeit in a different way, this way in the New Covenant demands faith.

Unlike the clouds of God directing Israel, they saw to believe; the Christian is required to have faith, which means we must believe then see.
Through grace, may your sight be 20/20 because your faith is so strong.

Until next time, win one for the good guys.