You, like me were most likely sickened to your stomach to
hear of the Malaysian passenger airliner downed over Ukraine on Thursday. The jury is still out on who shot it
down.
I cannot begin to imagine the grief and anger of those who
lost family members in an act of senseless, calculated mass murder.
But I can identify with many who hear this story and ask, “if
God is real, doesn’t he care? What is he
doing?” These are massive questions and
we can never pretend to solve all the mystery they imply, on this side of
history. Nevertheless if the Bible truly
is a word from God, it must have something to say to us in this.
The words of Dr. John Lennox are fresh in my mind, as he
shared in a public lecture at Regent College this week how he walks with
friends facing massive pain and injustice.
He points to the cross of Christ. “If that’s God on the cross then God does not
remain distant from our suffering but himself has become part of it.” And he reminds us that final justice is
promised. “The flip side of a God of love, is that he is a God of justice. A God who doesn’t dispense justice isn’t a
God of love at all... It will be utterly fair.
I believe one day you will look back and have no more questions.”
I do not pretend to think these words in themselves could bring comfort to people dealing with such inhumane loss. But I am convinced to my core that they point to the person who can: Jesus Christ. Read
one of the four New Testament Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John – for the
historical account of Jesus Christ’s entry into the human race, sacrificial
death, and his literal resurrection from the dead - the proof that when he
returns, all will be set right.
