Throwing bible verses at certain situations seems a bit inconsiderate sometimes, because who really knows pain?
I didn't really think too much of the tragic earthquake in Haiti til I checked my twitter just a few minutes ago and realized somehow I had just closed my eyes to the pain out there in the world over this incident. My heart really goes out for the situation now, and so I will be praying for the people of Haiti.
But, I feel like I ought to share this. I can tell you that without a shadow of a doubt that God is there(Gen 28:15; Ps 9:10; Ps 94:14; Matt 28:19 ), He is suffering ( Isaiah 53:4-6; Hebrews 12:1, Luke 24:26; and that He has not forsaken us (Hebrews 4:14-16;5:8-11) and He loves us (Romans 8:18-28&32; 1 John 4:10.
It makes a whole lot of sense to me when I read that all of creation is groaning (Romans 8:22) and it's groaning for justice and righteousness. But all of creation was subjected to futility, not willingly but because of Him who subjected it in Hope (Romans 8:20). And so creation groans. And we groan. And they groan. We all grown.
Shouldn't there be something... Shouldn't it be... different? We can't even express the words... Why is there so much pain? We groan... and the Spirit hears us. (Romans 8:26) The Spirit intercedes for us. He cries out to God what we can't.
Now, In Luke 4 Jesus introduces his purpose for being here on earth. He says, " The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me. to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. To set at liberty those who are oppressed To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." and do you see the justice of his coming. Luke 24:7 is when the disciples remembered what Jesus said before he died, He said, " The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." Jesus came and died so that we can be reunited with our heavily father. The death on the cross is our security that all wrongs will be made right. AW Tozer said, in his book knowledge of the Holy, "Thy justice upholds the order of the universe and guarantees the safety of all who put their trust in Thee. We live because Thou art just - and merciful." He makes an argument in his chapter on the justice of God that it's God's justice itself that has identified Christ's payment as payment enough for all the injustice, all the sin, all the broken hearts, the sick the lame the abused... it's Jesus' debt on the cross that brings justice! We all live in the grace of God's ultimate sacrifice. And so, "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) and "He who did not even spare his own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)
Sometimes giving quick bibles answers is inconsiderate, but when you really look at it, I think the bible defends itself. This situation in Haiti is horrific and questioning why is a response that a lot of people do. But we need to look to scripture and see what it really says and then come to people on terms of understanding. John Piper said on a sermon i just listened to, "When you come to somebody who is suffering the first thing you do is hug. you hug for a really long time. then you hug some more. But your hug has to be founded upon firm ground, and we know that ground to be Jesus."
"For I am persuaded, that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39
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