Next Practices

In times of crisis and tragedy, we often hear questions like “Where was God?” or”How could God allow this to happen?” I’m sure those questions were asked countless times during and following the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Here are my thoughts on the subject…

Where was God on 9/11? Exactly where you can always find him:

• Indwelling his people, giving them the strength to endure even the most heinous, evil acts perpetrated against them and others;
• Acting in ways we know nothing about to make sure his ultimate purposes and plans are accomplished;
• Waiting eagerly for anyone and everyone to call on him for strength, for hope, for peace, for salvation;
• Working through the actions and prayers of countless people to make a positive difference in a fallen world;
• Allowing all of his creation the free will we say we want, even when some choose to do unthinkable evil with that freedom.

God did not cause those evil acts on 9/11, nor is he obligated to prevent such things. His human creation has been given and expects to exercise free will to make our own decisions in life. If you think that God is somehow obligated to prevent evil acts, then you are saying that you want God to control your every action, to remove your free will, to make sure that everything is rainbows and unicorns. But I know you don’t really want that. You want to exercise the free will he gave you, even if that means you rebel against him, even if that means others rebel against him.

For love to be love, it must be willing and not coerced. That means God loves us enough to risk having us not love him in return. That means he lets unthinkable things happen at times, not because he wants or causes them to happen, but because humankind is responsible for its own choices, and sometimes we make terrible ones. There are eternal consequences for such choices, but we would shake our measly little fist at God if we didn’t at least have a choice.

We were not made as puppets, so why, when something bad happens, do we suddenly complain as though God is some giant puppeteer causing all the bad? We can’t have it both ways. Either we have free will and we are responsible, or we do not have free will and God is calling all the shots. Yes, I firmly believe he can and does intervene in the lives of humankind, but never to cause evil.

Where was God on 9/11? The same place you can find him today:

• Indwelling his people, giving them the strength to endure even the most heinous, evil acts perpetrated against them and others;
• Acting in ways we know nothing about to make sure his ultimate purposes and plans are accomplished;
• Waiting eagerly for anyone and everyone to call on him for strength, for hope, for peace, for salvation;
• Working through the actions and prayers of countless people to make a positive difference in a fallen world;
• Allowing all of his creation the free will we say we want, even when some choose to do unthinkable evil with that freedom.