In times of need many will call on the Lord to intervene. In the wake of the tragedy of 9/11 many turned to prayer and God to save and protect. The churches were full and the people were on their knees, but where are they now?
The Bible says that there is nothing new under the sun (See Eccl 1:9), as so it is. In the Old Testament the Childen of Israel did the same. During the time of the judges the people would fall away from the Lord and begin to follow other gods and to disregard the one true God. God, as judgment on the sins of the people, would allow them to be taken into captivity and treated harshly. Once they were overcome, they would cry out to God to save them and He would bring a new judge to rescue and lead them back to God.
Once that judge passed away, the people would again fall into the same sins and become trapped, cry out to the Lord for rescue and He would send another judge. This cycle repeated and repeated and repeated. They would not follow.
It seems foolish in retrospect that the people never seemed to learn from all of this, but it goes on the same today. When terror falls from the skies, when we closet ourselves behind closed doors, when we fear the mail and they people on the street, we cry out, “Oh Lord, please save us. God we need you.” But the human mind cannot sustain absolute terror for very long; we are simply not equipped to handle the stress for very long. Once that initial panic subsides, God goes back on the shelf.
The Lord seeks those that will worship Him in spirit and in truth. We must love the Lord, our God with all of our hearts and minds and soul and strength and worship Him only. His standards are high but those who find Him, find treasure beyond measure. Not only help in times of trouble, but a friend who sticks closer than a brother, the giver of life and the spirit that leads us into all truth.
Yours in love and in Christ,
Sonya Richards
(To access the entire “Why Does God Allow Suffering?” mini-series, please click here.)