A Bible teacher named Ray Comfort had this two say about his dad: He writes, “Let me tell you about my father. When I was young, he regularly left my mother and us three kids to fend for ourselves. I was there when he killed a helpless animal with his bare hands. Not only that, but he hit me (often). Based on this information, you could be justified in believing that my father was a tyrant.
However, there is some missing information. The reason he left us each day was to work to earn money to provide food, clothing, and shelter for us. He killed the animal because it had been hit by a car and was in agony. He put it out of its misery, and it grieved him to do so. He regularly chastened me because he loved me enough to teach me right from wrong (I was a brat). So, now you can have a balanced view of my dad. He was a loving father and a very compassionate man.”
Friends, if the God of the Bible, the creator of heaven and earth, does not do everything He does out of perfect wisdom, goodness, and love, then nothing matters. Absolutely nothing. But just because I find it impossible to see what he is doing when I’m face to face with some mind boggling horror, says nothing about what He is, in fact, doing. So then the only basis upon which I can reject Him is arrogance. That is to say, I believe I know enough about what God is doing or failing to do, to rightly condemn what I believe he is doing or failing to do. In actuality, all I am doing is shaking my fist at a figment of my imagination projected upon what I call the "God of the Bible.”
I’m convinced this is one main reason why it’s been said that the quintessence of Jesus’ teaching is the Beatitudes, and that the foremost among them is the first one: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” That is to say, blessed are those who know they are spiritually bankrupt and as knowledgeable about the ways of God as a kindergartener is of quantum physics.
American author, Celeste de Blasis wrote the following poem:
“There are people who live lives little different than the beasts,
and I don't mean that badly. I mean that they accept whatever happens day to day without struggle or question or regret. To them things just are, like the earth and sky and seasons.”
So even in the face of unspeakable tragedy, we would do well to humble ourselves, accept what is before us and, I would add, just continue to be helpful. One day our most wise, good, and loving God will open the eyes of the humble to see that they did not trust him in vain. “In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” (Isaiah 25:9)
