The question sat there on my computer screen, glaring at me. "Could a God who allows terrible things be loving? Or does He even exist?"
For some reason, my heart caught in my throat. I knew that I had an answer, but for one second I couldn't think of it. In that tiny moment, my world turned completely dark. I let the question come from my own mind. "Is God loving? Is He real?" I laughed and shook my head at myself. Because the reality of God in my life is too strong for me to doubt longer than one second. But how can I explain it to someone who doesn't know Him?
Bad things happen. People die. Children starve. I could make a list long enough to make your head spin. So where is a loving God in all of this? Let me tell you something.
He is ALL POWERFUL. He can do anything He wants. One of the displays of His power is in His choice to give us a free will. He didn't make a bunch of robots or puppets on a string. He's not just moving game pieces around, winding up toys to march mindlessly in the direction He decides. Our minds and our actions are our own. His creation lives, speaks, acts, invents, befriends, researches, THINKS. And because of our choice to sin we die, we harm, we lie, we kill.
He is ALL KNOWING. He is aware of everything going on in our world. He knows the famine, the disease, the slaughter, the slavery. He sees His creation turning against each other and against Him. We fight our fellow man because we want to prove we are better than the next guy. We sit in apathy while people are deprived of food and water, babies are aborted and women are enslaved for sex. I am guilty of this apathy myself.
He is ALL PRESENT. Everywhere. We can see Him in the nature around us. The sky, the land, the animals. And we can know Him in our hearts. From the darkest corners of Africa to sunshine of a tropical island. From the quiet corners of a field to the busiest streets and markets. From the piles of snow to stretches of sand. From the highest mountain peaks to the depths of the sea. He is there.
He is completely LOVING. In His power He created a people who can think on their own. Choose a path for themselves. He watched us and knew that we were in trouble because we were so focused on ourselves and our own agendas. He showed us His presence in all of creation, but we didn't see Him. So He gave us His presence in another way. He sent His son, a man called Jesus. The very first, the ONLY man to live a completely selfless and sinless life.
He is PERFECT. Jesus was our complete reverse. Humble where we are proud. Healing where we harm. Loving where we hate. He died for us so that we could plead His perfection when we stand before our Creator and seek admittance to His perfect world.
He is MINE. I claim Christ as my own. My Creator, Redeemer, Friend. While I am on this earth, I may face danger at the hands of people who are careless or even hateful. People might harm me emotionally or physically. I could die of a disease. God can stop any of these things to happen, but the truth is... It's more loving for Him to allow it. His boundless love for His creation means that He desires for all to come to know Him and be rescued from an eternity in Hell. He uses famine, disease, death and pain to draw people to Himself.
He is TRUSTWORTHY. I'm okay with Him using my life in any way He sees fit. The road may not always be easy. There will be things that I didn't plan on or want. Relationships will fall apart, friends will betray me. I will make dumb decisions for myself. I will probably be the stress in someone else's life. There will be conflict. Yet I hope to rejoice in hardship because He is my loving God.
