Where is God?

After the worst bushfire tragedy in Victoria's history many are asking this question - Where is God? or How do we answer our friends, when they ask us - How could a loving powerful God allow this to happen?

Here are some suggestions. (please note that one answer will not do - it is a complex problem and this could be the start of a long discussion):

1. "I don't really know or understand" is a good and biblical way to answer the question. That is because, none of us know the mind of God. Consider this from Isaiah 40:12-14

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has directed the spirit of the LORD, or as his counselor has instructed him? Whom did he consult for his enlightenment, and who taught him the path of justice? Who taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?

Or this from Romans 11:33-36 quoting Isaiah 40 ...

O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.

The point is of course, that we would be very silly indeed to speak the mind of God beyond what he has actually told us. His ways are so far above our ways, that we should answer with great care.

Also as an aside here - these verses remind us that, those of us with faith need to beware the temptation to take on "defending God" or as a friend of mine said this week, to "get God off the hook" for this tragedy. To do so would be a dangerous route for us to take away from his sovereign rule over the world.

2. "He enters into the suffering of human beings" would be another part of the conversation. God is presented right through the scriptures as a God of great compassion, and love. And He became one of us in the person of Jesus, sharing the griefs and trials of the human condition. Weeping with us in our pain, and rejoicing in our joys. The Lord Jesus, was often "moved with compassion" on those in need. He advocated for the poor and the marginalised. He showed the highest expression of love - to lay down his life for his friends, that they might be saved. He knows what we are going through and shares our griefs.

3. "The world is damaged because of sin". It is a sign that the whole creation is in bondage to decay, when we see things like this happen. (As it is whenever we see death, be it a 23 year old man, or an 89 year old saint - death is an enemy, and part of the fallen world.) Paul reminds us in Romans 8:19-23 that the creation is groaning under the load of its own brokenness.

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

And God, in Jesus, is the only way out of that groaning. We have been joining the creation in groaning this week. We have heard its groans as clear as a bell, as it waits for the time it will be set free from bondage to decay, and will obtain that glorious freedom.

4. "That God has promised a day when he will restore the creation". The subjection of this world to its futility will one day come to end, when Jesus returns, and renews the whole creation. This is Christian hope for the bush fire victims, AND the wars in Sudan, and Congo, and Iraq and and.

Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." 5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new."

5. "God rules his world". We must not, in all of this make the mistake of saying that God was not present when the fires raged through. God was and is actively ruling over his creation. He is the one who makes fire and wind and they work at his command.

Psalm 148:7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, 8 fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!

Psalm 135:5 For I know that the LORD is great; our Lord is above all gods. 6 Whatever the LORD pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. 7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth; he makes lightnings for the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Why he chose to bring these winds out of his storehouses on that day, and use fire to fulfil his command, I don't know. But to deny this, and somehow say God was not there and impotent against nature would be to deny his very character.

Why not post a reply with how you are answering these questions?

In the meantime have a look at what Tim Anderson wrote in the Hearld Sun, and what Jono Smith has written about God's sovereignty to get you thinking.