"If God is so good, then why is there so much hurt and suffering in the world?"
--> I will agree with you on two things.
1. God is good.
&&
2. There is so much hurt and suffering in the world.
I do, however,
draw the line when
you start to unite the two.
Not to say they are completely irrelevant
rather, God is not to blame.
Keeping the mind set of
"God is good"
is much harder than people think.
You hear that same statement and
it can mean something completely
different to the next person.
It's only when you experience His
goodness.
greatness.
and blessings
when you can truly believe it.
If you haven't experienced any of those
and have only heard the statement
"God is good",
I'd imagine it's very empty to you.
You see all the horrible things
that go on in this world.
And then you look up.
And say..."Why?
God must not be good afterall..."
The truth is,
Given the fact that God
desires to have a personal
relationship with each of us,
Given the fact that He
loves each and every one
of us, no matter our past,
Given the fact that He
knows the depth of our hearts,
our deepest secrets and mistakes,
and He loves us the same,
God does NOT force Himself
on anyone.
Not even when he knows
they need Him.
He wants us to come to Him.
When you walk out into the world.
And take a look around.
You see places where there is so much
violence,
pain,
suffering
&& heartache.
Where children are ripped from their homes,
and forced to do unimagineable things.
Where girls can't walk alone at night
because they're terrified of what may happen to them.
Where fathers murder their entire family to cover up
their pasts of hurt and brokenness.
Do you see God there?
Only if they let Him in.
God works when people TRUST.
When people lay down their lives to Him
and say "I am nothing and it is yours, God".
God works best when we are weak.
"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." -2 Corinthians 12:10
We don't have to be strong to come to God.
He says Come as you are.
Even when all hope is lost.
He will hold you
if you let Him.
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." -Matthew 17:20
I once heard a story.
About a little girl.
Her father murdered her mother
then shot himself
when she was just five years old.
4 years later, in a new
Christian foster home,
she was taken to church for the
first time in her life.
During the lesson, the
teacher pulled out a picture of Jesus
and asked the little girl,
"Sweetie, do you know who this is?"
She replied, "Yes!
that was the man who was holding me
the night my parents died."
She let Him in.
I once heard a story.
About a family who were missionaries
in the country of Haiti.
They were hated by many people
for what they were doing.
Spreading Christianity.
One night a man broke
into the family's home
and threatened to kill them
starting with
one of the small children.
Instead of panicking and
taking matters into his own hands
The father stepped up and said,
"In the Lord's name, I rebuke you."
The intruder's face instantly turned pale.
His body appeared to be shoved out of their home
by an invisible force.
God was there.
Because they let Him in.
Just today I read a story.
RIOTS followed the 2007 elections in Kenya.
Business stagnated because offices could not open.
Food became so expensive that
meeting basic needs became difficult.
Whether people were self-employed
or dependent on daily wages,
the story was the same.
Putting food on the table for our children
was a problem.
It occurred to me that if God
can feed the birds of the sky
and clothe the lilies of the valley,
then God could do the same for me and my family.
I resorted to prayer and informed the family
that God would provide.
The following day,
a long-time debtor
(so distant that we had forgotten about the debt)
called to ask how he could pay part of the money he owed me.
That day we had a meal on our table,
and we gave thanks.
God came to our help in this time of great need.
Stephen Odhiambo (Nairobi, Kenya)
The stories continue.
These are only a few.
Horrible things are a result of us.
God doesn't tell people
to murder their families
or to kidnap a child.
We are all sinners.
No one has to explain to a two year old
how to throw a temper tantrum
or to a four year old how to lie.
God is the one who provided
the way OUT.
He doesn't see us as sinners.
He sees our hearts.
And loves us
so, so
much.
God is good.
He does good things.
Only good things.
That is,
if you let Him.
If you let Him in.
and let Him work.
What are you holding on to?
What does this world, REALLY have to offer?
There is so. much. more.
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