Tornadoes, Tsunamis, Car Wrecks & Cancer

So, what we've talked about the last few days is God's sovereignty. I've found that's a word that evokes a lot of emotion. People have preconceived ideas about what it means, and most often, it appears, it has to do with the "Calvinism vs. Arminianism" (or predestination vs. free will) debate. But the concept of sovereignty goes beyond that. I submit it has more to do with the very nature of God. A "supreme being," I would think, by definition would be, well, supreme! He would be above all. He would be King, Lord, All Powerful, in control. Anything less becomes the frail, humanistic failing gods of the Greeks, Romans, and most other man-made religions.

I know. Some would argue that all religions are "man-made." But if you've been keeping up, they are taking one of two approaches. If they are saying Christianity is not a "religion," then I agree. It is a relationship with God based on faith, and the "religious" aspects of what the world sees as "Christianity" are for the most part man-made. If they are trying to deny the validity of all religion, then they are most likely examining the evidence with only their five physical senses, and not using the sixth sense, faith. As stated in previous posts - faith is the sense by which we perceive, understand and interact with the spiritual. Okay, that being said, let's get back on topic.

My last couple of blogs have dealt with God's sovereignty-the fact that He is powerful and in control to the point that nothing happens that catches Him off guard. How do we deal with the nearly 200 deaths due to tornadoes the yesterday? or the tsunami in Japan? or any other tragedy? For the believer, it goes back to the fall of man. When man chose to sin, and gave dominion of the world over to Satan, Satan was given free rein to wreak havoc in the world. And frankly, he doesn't give a rip about you, or those tornado victims, or the tsunami victims. He could care less that David Wilkerson's body was broken and killed in a car wreck yesterday, or that David's wife Gwen is injured and in the hospital. His purpose was not their deaths. He could care less about the damage done to the bodies, much less the life style and/or livelihood of the survivors. When I had cancer, it wasn't because Satan wanted me to be physically ill. His purpose is to keep men from God, to disrupt their relationship with the Creator.

Yes, God is allowing this. Why? It comes back to relationship.
Let me see if I can illustrate it this way:
I don't know why, but I've always struggled with self-image and confidence. I look at me and see all my weaknesses and failures. I'm like David in Ps.51:3 - "For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me." It's hard for me to wrap my brain around vs.9 of that Psalm: "Hide Your face from my sins and blot out my iniquities," and realize that when Jesus was on the cross, carrying my sins, and crying out, "My God, why have You forsaken me?" God was at that moment hiding His face from my sins and blotting out my iniquities!

(Declaring that again just broke me, and made that truth a little more real to my heart. Thank You, Lord! Let it touch those who read this as well, Lord.)

At any rate, because I have a hard time seeing myself as God does, it makes me stand in awe sometimes how much my wife loves me. She's got to be the most amazing person in the world! She chooses to love me - like I am. She encourages me to grow and embrace the lessons God is teaching us, but she loves me like I am at any given stage of the journey. She's not forced to love me. She has a choice. and she chooses me. Why would I want it any other way? Would any of us want a mate who had to love us whether they wanted to or not? That very idea doesn't fit any of our definitions of love, does it? So, why does it puzzle us that God gives a choice? And if there were not consequences for choosing to either love or to reject the sovereign, all-powerful creator of the universe, where would the choice be?

So, it comes back to relationship. God wants to reconcile man to Himself. Satan wants to interfere with that. Are they on equal footing? No way. God, took on flesh in Jesus, the Messiah, lived a life without sin so that He could take on the sins of the world, become the ultimate sacrifice, and take away our sins. In doing so, He made Satan, the one who had the power of death (Heb.2:14) of no effect. A better way of translating it would be "a non-work," or a "work without results." Through the cross - through His death on our behalf, and our death with Him there - Satan's efforts cannot succeed at keeping us from God. Like I said, Satan doesn't give a rip about the physical results of his efforts. He's not doing this stuff just for the fun of crumpling bodies, destroying property, making people sick.... He's wanting to destroy relationships between men & God.

That's why the way you get in is the way you go on. That's why we always carry about in the body the dying of Jesus that the life of Jesus also may be manifest in our mortal bodies. That's why we get in by the cross, but are also told to take up our cross daily and follow Him. When this world's temporal, temporary suffering causes us to turn to the cross and find healing, comfort, victory, and relationship with God, Satan is rendered powerless - his efforts have no effect (at least not in the way that matters).