November 27, 2001
Stephen King was starting his morning’s writing when he heard the news on television, Tuesday, September 11th. He said, “I can’t do this.”
King admits he has no illusions about the everlasting significance of his novels. That is one reason he felt it was not crucial to continue writing that day. Yet he went up to his office, blocked out the television his wife watched downstairs, and went to work. He explained that he continues to write because “if everybody continues working, they (the terrorists) don’t win.”
King is one of thousands who express this sentiment. If fear prevents anyone from their responsibilities, not only do the terrorists “win” but in many other ways, we lose.
At the same time, I don’t think anyone has been able to carry on normally since September 11th. Who can say this atrocity has had no impact on their lives? Some try. I’ve met a few people for whom nothing matters but their own personal agenda. They’ve shut their minds to the photographs and daily news. They concentrate entirely on their own goals and plans. It seems to me, at least in their case, that the terrorists may have gained some ground.
Terrorism is a tool of the heartless; people without concern for anyone or anything that stands in the way of their goals, even innocent bystanders. In several instances, they claim to do their violent acts in the name of God and that He will reward them for their zeal and tenacity. Even people who know very little about God doubt that He is delighted by destruction. Those who know more understand that God is perfect goodness. Jesus both said so and demonstrated it.
In contrast, Jesus said that the devil is “a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him . . . he is a liar and the father of lies.” Satan is the opposite of God and rejects goodness. Although God sometimes deals harshly with evil people, His goal is to protect and uphold truth and righteousness. He redeems people from sin and enables them to live in goodness and peace.
On the other hand, Satan’s purpose is delusion and ruining lives. He instigates destructive acts. He does not want anyone to honor and obey God, to know truth, to be good, or to have a legitimate claim to eternal life. To reach his evil goals, he convinces many that they are serving God when they are actually serving him. The apostle Paul was a case in point. Before he met Christ, he was killing Christians and thinking he was doing God a favor. In His mercy, God opened Paul’s eyes so that he knew the truth and decided to follow it.
God says that the heart of man is deceitful to begin with. Paul realized that is true. He knew that everyone seeks their own way. When the lies of Satan are thrown into the mix, the human heart is not only deceived but can become extremely destructive.
Judas is another example. He was a selfish man. He spent three years as a disciple of Jesus Christ but that was not enough to change his heart. The Bible says he carried the money bag but dipped into it whenever he wanted some for himself. Later, “Satan entered his heart” and Judas betrayed Jesus by selling information to those who wanted to kill Him. When Judas realized what he had done, he was still under satanic thinking. Instead of confessing his sin and asking forgiveness (God’s way) he believed the Liar, listened to the devil’s lie, and destroyed himself. The trauma of a horrid event did not change this man.
If the trauma of September 11 does not change us, what does that imply? Tragedy ought to make us more compassionate and act on behalf of others, but if we harden our hearts and go our merry way, then the terrorists have won. They have pushed us into their same heartlessness and unconcern for anyone but ourselves.
Showing posts with label tragedies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tragedies. Show all posts
Monday, May 7, 2018
Friday, July 21, 2017
Are there answers in the trials of life? .......... Parables 617
November 3, 1998
A few months ago, an MD-11 Swissair jetliner plunged into the sea off the coast of the fishing village of Peggy’s Cove, killing all 229 people on board. Last week, Alaska Airlines Flight 261 failed, taking 88 passengers and crew to their death.
After the first disaster, Swissair chairman Jeff Katz thanked Canadian authorities for their help. He had a special word for the people of Peggy’s Cove: “The Peggy’s Cove experience has been perhaps the best part, if I can use that word, for getting them (families of those who died) in touch with what happened and dealing with the loss of their loved ones.”
Memorials to Flight 111's victims were held both in the fishing village and in Halifax. One pastor related that sharing grief with these families made them “spiritually part of our community. We won’t forget them.”
The Alaskan crash off the coast of California tore apart families and claimed families. Wives lost their husbands, children their parents. A man, wife and their four children all died.
Part of grief is the struggle to make sense of “senseless” tragedies. When they happen, we want to turn back the clock and change history. We want to understand what happened. With or without reasons or explanations, we must share our dismay and grief with others.
Tragedy’s question is “Why?” “Why a crash? Why do the children die? Why does anyone die? Why so horribly? If God is good, why did He let this happen?”
Even though the Bible says God is not the source of evil, it does show that calamity is under His control. For many, that fact is a stabilizing assurance.
For example, Job’s story is disaster in triplicate. First he lost his oxen and donkeys, then his sheep and his servants, then his camels and finally all his sons and daughters. His grief can hardly be described. Nevertheless, Job worshiped God. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
Then more calamity fell on Job. He was afflicted with painful sores and near death, yet the Bible says, “In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”
Who can relate to this man? Job was not told God’s reasons for his trials yet he realized God would use it for good. At one point, he said, “He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”
Christians often quote Job or cling to Romans 8:28 as their hope whenever disaster strikes: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Key to understanding this promise is knowing what “good” God intends. His specific purpose is in verse 29: “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. . . .”
In all things, tragedies included, God is able to produce in His people a deeper faith and a deeper resemblance to Jesus. Trials tend to focus our minds on Him. If we see Him as He is, that has a transforming effect. In this way, God can use disasters for our good.
It is not fair to guess how God might use trouble in the lives of others, but we can be sure of one thing: everyone needs to hope in Him. All people need to know that God is good and that He intends good for us. All need to believe His promises and cling to the reality that He can bring positive results from the most negative situations.
Without the goodness of God, there is no anchor in the tempests of life. With it, the tempests still rage, but they cannot destroy the reality of God’s love. No matter what happens, we can still hope in Him.
A few months ago, an MD-11 Swissair jetliner plunged into the sea off the coast of the fishing village of Peggy’s Cove, killing all 229 people on board. Last week, Alaska Airlines Flight 261 failed, taking 88 passengers and crew to their death.
After the first disaster, Swissair chairman Jeff Katz thanked Canadian authorities for their help. He had a special word for the people of Peggy’s Cove: “The Peggy’s Cove experience has been perhaps the best part, if I can use that word, for getting them (families of those who died) in touch with what happened and dealing with the loss of their loved ones.”
Memorials to Flight 111's victims were held both in the fishing village and in Halifax. One pastor related that sharing grief with these families made them “spiritually part of our community. We won’t forget them.”
The Alaskan crash off the coast of California tore apart families and claimed families. Wives lost their husbands, children their parents. A man, wife and their four children all died.
Part of grief is the struggle to make sense of “senseless” tragedies. When they happen, we want to turn back the clock and change history. We want to understand what happened. With or without reasons or explanations, we must share our dismay and grief with others.
Tragedy’s question is “Why?” “Why a crash? Why do the children die? Why does anyone die? Why so horribly? If God is good, why did He let this happen?”
Even though the Bible says God is not the source of evil, it does show that calamity is under His control. For many, that fact is a stabilizing assurance.
For example, Job’s story is disaster in triplicate. First he lost his oxen and donkeys, then his sheep and his servants, then his camels and finally all his sons and daughters. His grief can hardly be described. Nevertheless, Job worshiped God. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
Then more calamity fell on Job. He was afflicted with painful sores and near death, yet the Bible says, “In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”
Who can relate to this man? Job was not told God’s reasons for his trials yet he realized God would use it for good. At one point, he said, “He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”
Christians often quote Job or cling to Romans 8:28 as their hope whenever disaster strikes: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Key to understanding this promise is knowing what “good” God intends. His specific purpose is in verse 29: “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. . . .”
In all things, tragedies included, God is able to produce in His people a deeper faith and a deeper resemblance to Jesus. Trials tend to focus our minds on Him. If we see Him as He is, that has a transforming effect. In this way, God can use disasters for our good.
It is not fair to guess how God might use trouble in the lives of others, but we can be sure of one thing: everyone needs to hope in Him. All people need to know that God is good and that He intends good for us. All need to believe His promises and cling to the reality that He can bring positive results from the most negative situations.
Without the goodness of God, there is no anchor in the tempests of life. With it, the tempests still rage, but they cannot destroy the reality of God’s love. No matter what happens, we can still hope in Him.
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