Recently two major disasters have
rocked the world. A horrific cyclone has killed upwards of 100,000
people in Myanmar with the death toll rising by the day. China
suffered a devastating earthquake that has killed tens of thousands
more. These disasters have hit me more than most Americans as I have
good friends in both places. To the best of my knowledge, no one I
know has died in either country but there are some people I have been
unable to contact. I do know people who have lost friends and family
in both catastrophes.
During such tragedies one can be tempted to look to God and ask “Why!?” Why did God allow this? Couldn't God have prevented it? Doesn't God care about human suffering? The answers to the 2nd and 3rd questions are “yes” and “yes”. God most certainly does have the power to prevent, or cause, anything He chooses. And He cares greatly about human suffering. So that leaves the question as to why God allowed such suffering to occur when He can easily have prevented it. That answer is much more complex.
Some Christians believe that God is directly responsible for everything that happens. They reason that He is omnipotent so therefore He controls everything. While I acknowledge that God could control everything, I do not believe He does. For one thing, I believe in human free-will to a great extent, but that is a topic for another article. As far as I can tell, nothing in the Bible says that God is directing the affairs of the universe like a puppet-master.
There will probably be those who claim these disasters were some kind of judgment or divine retribution on these Godless governments. That is possible but we have no proof or revelation to give credence to such a claim. Therefore, there is no reason to assume that God directly caused these disasters. However, He obviously allowed them to happen which brings us back to “why”.
This is a question that has bothered theologians and philosophers for centuries so it is understandable that I don't have a definitive answer. I do know that God is faithful to keep His promises and one promise is that He will bring good out of bad situations if we simply trust Him (Romans 8:28). Good is already happening in Myanmar. The local church is rising up to show God's love and comfort to their neighbors by offering what aid and assistance.
My Myanmese friends have begun sharing what material blessings they can to the people around them. While the government keeps foreign workers out, the Myanmese church is in the process of distributing funds sent to them by American churches. Such relief efforts will no doubt open the door for opportunities to evangelize and advance the Kingdom of Heaven among the Myanmese people.
The deaths of 100,000 + people is a tragedy beyond my comprehension. But if it leads to the (re)birth of a similar number of Christians then at least we could see a great good come out of it. That may be why God allows pain and suffering in the world – to show people how fragile life is and how desperately each of us needs a Savior that can provide eternal security.
Hillary or Obama? McCain, Thompson or Guilliani? How about Ron Paul? 2008 promises to be an interesting year for politics. For many people, it will be an anxious year as well. Many voters are agonizing over who to support. Others are certain that the country is doomed if Candidate X doesn't win or if Candidate Y does.
I am thrilled to be living in a county where we get such choices. For almost nine years I've lived in nations where the current government, not the people, choose who will be next in line. Technically, both China and Singapore (the countries where I've lived), have opposition parties but reality is that the opposition is only for show. Neither the Communist Party (China) nor the PAP (Singapore) is in danger of being voted out of office any time soon.
What thrills me even more is living with the certainty that whoever is elected next November is the best choice to be the President of the United States. Yes, I do have strong preferences as to who I would like to win (or lose) but I am not concerned if a candidate other than my choice wins. I can be so anxious-free because I am confident that whoever wins will be God's choice to lead this country.
The Bible tells us that every government leader is chosen by God (Romans 13:1). That doesn't mean that every leader is good. We can certainly see that not every leader is godly. It does mean that God is completely sovereign and He has a plan. He knows how history is going to play out because He is the one writing the script. He puts each leader in place to carry out His plan, even if the person doesn't know it is happening or wants to be an agent of God's will.
The next American president will be the person God has chosen to lead our nation. That person will make the critical decisions that God has already decided. Many decisions they will make on their own, but the key ones that steer America into the future that God has already decreed have already been determined.
The 2008 election will be interesting. I am very curious who God has chosen to lead out nation into the future. I hope it will be someone who holds the same values and political beliefs that I do. In any case, he or she will be the perfect person to lead America to the future that God has in store for her.
The recent demonstrations for democracy
in Myanmar (Burma) reminded me how precious our freedom here in The
United States is. I know many people lament the idea that we are
losing our freedom. Both sides of the political spectrum accuse the
other side of conspiring to deny them freedoms guaranteed by the
constitution. Accusations of conservatives denying civil rights or
liberals undermining religious freedom abound. There may be a
certain amount of truth in all of those arguments, but when we
compare our situation here in this country to almost anywhere else in
the world, we have rights and freedoms that most people can only
dream about.
At the same time, I was confused as how
to pray during the demonstrations. A friend of mine who lives in
Myanmar sent me an e-mail asking for prayer for democracy to succeed.
On many levels, I wanted to do so. I could certainly understand
Sanga's desire for freedom. After a lifetime of strict, often harsh,
military rule, he wanted to live free. Yet I couldn't help but
wondering if freedom is always the greatest good. In fact, for
Christians, perhaps less freedom is an advantage.
Don't get me wrong. I love the freedom
God has blessed me with. I have no desire to surrender any of it.
But sacrifice is a significant part of living the Christian life. I
have willingly sacrificed my freedom many times for the sake of the
gospel. More importantly, throughout history, freedom has usually
diminished the effectiveness of the church. Persecution and
oppression have generally made the church stronger by purifying it
while freedom and security have weakened its commitment to holiness.
Now, back to the specific situation
regarding the Christian church in Myanmar. While the Burmese people
have little freedom, the church is given a fair amount of latitude.
“Underground” seminaries operate openly. Christians can pray and
discuss their beliefs in public without fear. I was able to visit
two Myanmese churches and two seminaries with no concern that the
authorities would burst in and arrest people. In other words, while
the government in Myanmar stifles the people, it allows a certain
amount of religious freedom. Much more true religious freedom
than I encountered in China.
This is not to say Myanmese Christians
do not face opposition. The government puts various restrictions on
them. Christians cannot be promoted in the military or government
jobs. Their activities draw close scrutiny from the authorities.
But, under the current system, Christians can practice their
religious beliefs without too much interference from the government.
If democracy overcame dictatorship,
perhaps the religious freedom would stop. Myanmar is predominantly
Buddhist. Monks are revered and have great influence over the
people. A democratic government might allow the Buddhists to drive
the other religions, including the Christian church, into hiding just
as democratic governments in some Muslim countries have legalized the
persecution of Christians.
Persecution itself is not necessarily a
bad thing. As I mentioned before, persecution has historically
caused the church to be more effective. However, it might be that
democracy would bring my Christian friends in Myanmar more hardship,
not less. Therefore, I pray that God will advance His kingdom in
Myanmar and appoint the officials He chooses. May God bless the
church in Myanmar and empower them to live faithful lives no matter
who their secular rulers are.