Where is God in all of this? - Aaron Webber

It’s all too easy, isn’t it, to fall into the trap of questioning “where is God in all of this?” when we see all that’s going on in the world. The current situation with the coronavirus could well be one such situation where we ask these kinds of questions. How could a loving God allow the infliction of this pain & suffering? It is a difficult question to answer and truth be told, I find myself asking these things too. 

One thing I try to remind myself is that God is in control. Take Job (person from the Bible, not your work!) He suddenly had a lot of bad news all at once when he loses pretty much everything. He couldn’t understand why God was allowing stuff to happen either. Jumping to the end of the story, Job says (of God): “I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything. Nothing and no one can upset your plans. You asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water, ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?’ I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head” (Job 42 v1-3 MSG)

So what am I getting at? Like job, I think we need to accept that we simply cannot understand from our human perspective all the purposes behind events that happen. Let’s trust that in his infinite wisdom, God knows what He’s doing. I have found that sometimes, after challenging times like these, we might even be able to look back and appreciate what God was doing and teaching us; preparing us for during that time.

What about now then? What about the current situation with coronavirus? What hidden purposes could there be behind it for us? We might not know right now, but have a think.  Are we being given the chance to build our relationships with those at home? Perhaps we are being given the time to dig into God’s word? Is it teaching us to appreciate the freedoms we are usually blessed with in this part of the world? Or could we bless that lonely relative with a phone call?

I know I’m beginning to appreciate the value of meeting freely together; I miss seeing you all at church and A2J. I hope you’re all in good health. Praying for you guys.