I was asked (due in part of my faith) if I think God really cares about people. Well, let's see.
It seems to me God tends to get a bad rap because of our own misguided deeds. People starving in the world "How can God let that happen?" Children suffering of starvation; Same response Increasing violence in the world "Why doesn't God stop it" on and on and on the questions came coming.
WHY GOD WHY ?
Valid questions indeed but if we really examine each situation closely, perhaps some of these are direct byproducts of our own selfish attitudes and actions. Do we all have a little Veruca Salt in us?
Hey, what about me ?
I want my share .....
But I too deserve .....
It's not fair that they .....
How come I can't ........
What do you mean I can't have it now ?
I can't even imagine what God endures on a daily basis. Consider some prayers God may hear on a daily basis;
A prayer from someone complaining about not having a mate and how unfair it is
A prayer from a mother beseeching God for food for her starving children
A prayer from another to win the lottery and promising to give some back IF they win
A prayer from a child asking that daddy won't hit mommy & me anymore
A prayer from someone seeking strength when they just found out they have cancer
A prayer for that new fancy car they've been wanting for so long
Thank goodness that none of us are the recipient of these prayers as we would use our own judgements on which prayer to answer and which ones to deny. Thankfully God loves each one of us and regardless of our short-comings, He wants nothing but the very best for each of us. That doesn't mean He will always say yes or say yes in OUR timing. I think we sometimes view God no different than a waiter in a restaurant. We give our order and if it doesn't come as soon as we expected it we tend to become frustrated, even angered, looking around for the waiter to ask what's taking so long with my order. We cannot see what goes on in the kitchen - all the preparations etc .... Perhaps it takes a bit longer to prepare our order to make sure it's done just right so that we may fully enjoy it. Could the same apply with God ? Making sure all is prepared properly for our complete enjoyment of God's blessing?
I suppose with all of the current events in the world it's easy to blame God. After all He is God and He can stop everything right ? Well, true but then our limited ability cannot see the full purposes of God. I do believe we have the ability to use prayer and action to make noticeable differences in the world. We cannot rid the world of all its problems but it seems to me that each one of us can contribute by taking the time to love & help others where we can. I suppose the best we can bestow to one another is unconditional love & forgiveness (which can prove to be too difficult for some) thus slowly pull away from our own wants in life and allowing a peace that surpasses all understanding to imbue our every-day walk in life.
I reckon some will not like agree with my view and may suggest that I'm somewhat narrow-minded but that's okay. Really, I'm okay with that because we're all entitled to our opinions and beliefs however, I love God and I can't help but sigh when I hear of all the things we blame God for. It's as though I picture God saying to deafened ears "I love you all so much and these horrible things in the world are not my doing or my wish for you but it doesn't mean that I can't use it for good either". When I read of God's love and purposes for us, it's laced with love and peace and though sometimes we encounter rough times, sometimes the reaction is it's God's fault. We cannot see or comprehend God's purposes; we can speculate but that's as far as it can go and no matter how much we validate it in our own mind it doesn't mean we're right. I try earnestly to rely on Faith.
This piece took some thought as I had to start with the man in the mirror (sorry but MJ for stealing your line) and view my own faults and frailties. God help and forgive us all for the many injustices we seem to inflict upon each other.
Prescott & Nadia; The summary above hopefully provides my perspective on the some of the questions you posed a few nights ago over that fine bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. I'm sorry it took me a while to respond but some questions I cannot answer on-the-spot without taking time to ponder such deep questions so that I can hopefully tender a seemingly lucid response.
Best,
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