Where is God II?
The date is September 9, 2017. I am writing this from a hotel room in Beaufort, SC where we have evacuated from Fort Myers, FL in advance of the Category 4 hurricane, Irma that is surely set to destroy my home at about 2:00 PM tomorrow. At such times the question often asked is “Where is God?”
About three weeks ago, at the request of another publication, I wrote on this same question. I had not yet posted it when I wrote this today when the circumstances are different. Would my answer be the same with more dire circumstances?
Yes! My answer today is the same. The omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent God, who transcends our living dimensions of space, time and matter is here right now no matter where you are. Let me add, “no matter what is going on”. So you say, “If that is the case why is God allowing this to happen to me?” Good question and not an unexpected one.
What is happening is because we are living in a natural world that has consequences associated with living.(Jn 16:33, Mt 6: 25-34, Job 5:7). This does not mean God is causing any trouble to happen to you. I think we are so into self that when anything is not going our way we look for blame or a scapegoat. God makes a convenient one.
He created this natural world and allowed the natural laws of physics to apply to it. These same laws apply sometimes to produce hurricanes like Irma. Sometimes they give us a perfect sunny day. God has set up the physical laws for us. If they did not operate with the preciseness in which they operate we could not inhabit this planet. If we did not inhabit this planet we would not be participants in why he created us in the first place. We would not be recipients of his love to be holy and blameless in his sight through Jesus Christ. (Eph. 1: 4-8) Notice that God planned our salvation before creation. It is the reason God created us. Never forget that!
The physical laws that govern the universe are confined to the dimensions of space, time and matter that came about as a result of creation. But as recipients of Gods’s predestined love, this highest form of love, we are connected on another dimension with the creator of the world that goes beyond these dimensions of space, time and matter. When we accept that love we believe that one day, when we die, we will live with him in heaven. a dimension that we accept but cannot touch now. (Jn 3:16)
We may lose homes, loved ones or our very own lives due to natural catastrophes, disease, conflict or accident. Events are all part of living in this natural world that God created for his purpose. What we are really after is not living in this world but accepting his gift of eternal life that is only available by having lived in this natural world. Like his love, his gift of eternal life is beyond the comprehensible dimensions of this world, beyond the universe.
Yes, God allows things to happen but the greatest happening is when we decide we want to live with him eternally. This transcends any earthly happening no matter how good or bad.
G. Lee Southard, Ph.D.
