He is Just and He is merciful!

Death is one of those things in life that is very difficult to deal with - the 17 year old boy who takes his life, the 8 year old girl who is raped and murdered, the 4 year old girl who dies of leukemia, the mother who takes her life leaving her 16 year old daughter, a father-in-law you have witnessed to for years, dies, and you are not sure if he is present with the Lord.

This is a very difficult post for me. With the exception of one, I knew every one of the people listed above. As I write I am fighting back tears because what I want to say is truth but in my frailty as a human being I am not sure I can understand it myself.

Our daughter has had to deal with death twice in the last week. She lost her father-in-law and received news this morning that her next door neighbor's son was killed in the military.

Death raises a lot of questions. Questions that are very difficult to answer. Questions that we may never know the answers to. Probably the biggest question is "why". Why does a 17 year who professes faith in Christ take his life? Why does an 8 year old of Christian parents die at the hand of a captor? Why does the 4 year old of a wonderful Christian couple die of leukemia? Why does a woman who loves the Lord take her life? Why does a father-in-law die without the knowledge of knowing for sure where he is in eternity after praying so fervently for him for years? Why does a young man who willingly went to serve his country die at the hand of his enemy?

I am making an attempt to answer these questions using the Lord's words. I begin by choosing excerpts from the book of Job in chapter 38 after his long suffering. "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? By what way is light diffused, or the east wind scattered over the earth? Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, or a path for the thunderbolt? Who provides food for the raven, when its young ones cry to God, and wander about for lack of food"?
Excerpts from Isaiah 45 "I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things. Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you begetting?'" (Read Romans 9: 20,21) Why does the Lord make make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? Isaiah 55:8 says "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My way," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." There are many scriptures that speak of God's sovereignty but for lack of time I listed a few.

Deuteronomy 29:29 says "The secret things belong to the Lord but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." I believe the Lord is telling us that there are things we will never know because they are His to keep. However, what He has chosen to reveal to us He has chosen for our obedience. He has given us all we need in the scriptures. All of scripture from Genesis to Revelation He has given to us and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, throughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3: 16,17)

We must remember that we are born in sin because of Adam and his sin. We must remember that it is also because of sin that this world is not perfect and that we cannot understand the mind of our Holy God. But praise be to God who has redeemed us in Jesus Christ. He has given us His son to die for our sin and give us eternal life. This life starts now at the moment of spiritual rebirth. We do not and many times will not ever understand the pain He allows His people to go through. We do know He is just and we do know He is merciful. Let us ask for His mercy to sustain us when we do not know answers to questions that bring us such pain and let us rest in His plan and purpose. Job finally said to God in Job 42: 2 "I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You."