In light of the recent tsunami disaster, a lot of people are asking “Where was God?” “How could God let this happen?” The sermon this morning attempted to answer these, and other, questions. I shall attempt to summarise, although my summary will be lacking.

In order to get a perspective on things, and possibly answer some of these questions, it might be worth pointing out a few things about what the bible says about God.

Above all, God is sovereign. Everything that happens is with God’s full knowledge and by his power. There is nothing which happens which God hasn’t planned, either by his will, or by allowing. As such, God allows angels and men to commit evil, but ultimately what they do is only by God’s permission. Even now, the whole of creation is sustained by God.
God is holy. God is not the author of evil, nor will he tolerate anything evil. When God created the world he created it perfect – including human beings. God will always do what is right, because he is holy.

It might also be worth pointing out what the bible says about humanity.

We think we know better than God. We think pain is unnecessary and should not be allowed. We think things could be done in a better way.
Men very often blame God when things go wrong, but very rarely thank him. Do we thank him for every blessing he gives us? For the air we breathe, the water we drink, for the food he provides each day? For family and friends? For so much he gives us.

Ultimately, all of us have rebelled against God by doing what he doesn’t want us to do and not doing what he wants us to do. God owes us nothing. As such, those affected by the tsunami did not perish because they were any worse than anyone else. If anything, because all have sinned and because God is holy, we will eventually be judged by God and sent to eternal pain and torment.

Yet God is loving, and has sent his Son to take on the punishment due for our sin. What we could not do ourselves, God has accomplished in the most necessary and costly way. God did not owe it to us, but by his grace he has offered it to us, that through faith in Christ we might be forgiven.

If we are forgiven, we should do what God commands. Do we love our neighbour as much as we love ourselves? Have we responded in a loving way to those in need?
Do we concentrate on what matters? Do we get more aggravated when we’re inconvenienced by trivial things, than when we see others truly suffering? Do we concentrate more on ourselves than God and others?

On the problem of pain, C.S. Lewis said:

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

Are we listening?

In the evening, we looked at Psalm 91 which in a nutshell says that if we want security, we should seek God. The security offered by the world is no security at all – Only God is able to bring us safely through life. Not that nothing bad will happen to the Christian, for Christians have suffered persecution and death because of their faith in Christ. However, in the scope of eternity, nothing bad which happens to the Christians in the world can affect their eternal destiny.