Devastation

My son lives about a half-mile from where the tornado touched down in Joplin. I am thankful that he is safe. He volunteered with the clean-up the next day. I cannot imagine the devastation he saw. He said they passed a car that had been in the twister. It had a body in it.

I just listened to Brian Williams report on the tragedy. He stated that "it was not fair." I find that an interesting statement, and wonder what that is based on. Is it not fair that these people suffered, as opposed to others? Or is suffering like this not fair for anyone? If so, what is that based on? Is there a limit to the suffering we should have to endure? If so, what are those limits?

I think this intrigues me because I do not know where he stands in his belief system. If he does not believe in God, this statement makes no sense to me. If there is no God, there is no fairness, everything is random. If there is no God, there is no deserving, because there is no sin or lack of sin. In order to deserve something, don't you have to be able to earn it from someone or something? So no matter how good a person might be, he can't deserve a particular kind of death just based on his morality, especially since without a supreme being, morality at best is subjective.

If he does believe in God, the statement still does not make sense. For the truth of it is that some people do deserve a horrible death. Some people will even get a much more horrible eternity. But we don't like to think about that, unless you are Rob Bell, and then you just make it disappear. So maybe you can tell me, Mr. Bell, if God is so loving that He would not send anyone to hell, why make people suffer like this?

My thoughts go to my son. If he were 4 blocks closer, I would be suffering right now. But that would not change my view of God. God is not my God only when He does not give me pain. Whatever I have to endure in this life, surely I deserve it. And then some. What I don't deserve is His grace and mercy.

I pray for you, Joplin. And even as I write this, there is news of more killer tornadoes in Kansas and Oklahoma. That is a part of the broken world that we live in. Along with war, hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes, etc. And through it all, God is God. He is sovereign, and worthy of our praise and worship. But you won't hear that on the news tonight.

Matt Chandler and Suffering

Matt is a favorite preacher of mine. He speaks in a way that challenges my heart. Here he speaks of a topic that he is very familiar with, suffering. Matt's battle with cancer is on-going, and the prognosis in the long-run is not good. So he speaks in a way that deals with the idea of "sometimes God blesses by healing and sometimes God blesses through suffering." Anyway, if you have about 40 minutes, it is worth listening to.

God Doesn't Need Me

God doesn't need me. I have come to that realization a while ago, but was talking with someone tonight who has come to that place, and she doesn't like that idea.


I told her, you should take comfort in that thought!


But she was still feeling the pain of such an idea.


Yes, it is a tough realization at first. It first struck me on a ride home. I had just dropped my son off with his mother. I had lost my vocation, my family, and I was feeling sorry for myself. Hadn't I done some good things for God? Didn't He need me to continue? Why was this happening?


I suddenly realized that He didn't need me. I was devasted. I almost had to pull over, the feeling was so strong. But as I continued, I felt His arms around me. No, He didn't need me, but He wanted me.


Could I really served a God who needed me? Such a God would surely be small. But a God who doesn't need me, but who wants me, who loves me, that is a very big God. With a very big heart. That is a God I can serve, that is a God I can worship and love. And that is a thought I can find immense comfort in.