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re: “Conquerors of what? satan stalks the planet and the evil prosper despite our begging for God’s intervention.”

I appreciate your despair. When we look at how things are and have always been, the problem of evil and suffering is the toughest issue to face and answer in regard to our faith.

Assuming you are sincere in your Christian faith, I will attempt an answer, though in reality, there is NO clear cut answer to the WHY God acts to prevent suffering in one instance, and why He does not in others. No one can answer that but God alone.

I can only say, that God has intervened with the ulitmate intervention in human history - when He entered our world as an infant. He was born into poverty, into a conquered nation experiencing oppression, He experienced hatred, anti-semitism, hunger, pain, betrayel by friends and countrymen, torture in crucifixion, possibly even despair while on the cross (”my God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”).

My point is that God has experienced on a human level much of the pain and suffering that mankind has endured. Where is the victory in Christ? Well, as Paul put it - we are victors over physical death (through life forever with Christ in Heaven) and over spiritual death of the eternal sentence of sin. In other words, physical death is not the end. This life is not all there is therefore even death does not defeat us because even if we are killed, murdered, tortured it is NOT the end. We will live on forever with God in His heaven - not one can take that away.

This knowledge does not mean that we do not do all we can to bring about Godly laws and living, peaceful tolerance as much as we can on this earth. But, we know that this world belongs to Satan, he is already defeated but he still does as much damage as possible and attempts to bring us to despair. It is easy to despair. There are so many reasons why we should, except for the knowledge that all history, all the evil acts of man or Satan ultimately cannot thrwart the ultimate will of God. He takes the evil rebellion of mankind and turns it back into conforming to His will.

I am not a Calvinist - I do not believe that everything that happens is God’s desired will. There are things that happen that go against God’s revealed/desired will - yet God still is sovereign over His creation. How? By working all acts of man, whom He has given freedom to act for good or evil, into conforming to His will. We may thwart God’s desire in our lives and the lives of others when we sin, yet He is able to take that act of rebellion and turn it toward accomplishing His will.

I could list possible examples of this, but that would probably only ellicit responses to the opposite conclusion. My belief, in the end, is an act of faith. But, I do believe we can all look back at past events that occured in our lives that at the time seemed so terrible - and, truth be told they probably were - yet, those same events oftentimes when we look back at them now - as painful as they were when we first experienced them - changed, moved, or affected us in some way that eventually brought about some positive outcome.

I know that does not happen in every case, but often enough that I think most of us have experienced that truth.

I have no pat answer for what happened in Newtown, Ct. I have no pat answers to what happened to bring about the Holocaust. But, I do, by faith, believe that all these things cannot thwart the ultimate goodness of God nor His ultimate will. As bad as it is here on this earth, it cannot compare to how wonderful it will be one day with God in His heaven. I know that may be hallow encouragement to one suffering terrible illness, or unjust imprisonment, or murder, or torture - except to know that God SEES all the acts of man. There will be justice and all things righted in the end.

God has also delivered all who accept His Son from facing spiritual death and hell. That is the ulimate victory. No matter what circumstances of man does to us - they cannot touch our eternal fellowship and relationship with God.

When we ask God to intervene, as we all do, when we or others are in pain, and God seems not to hear - that’s when we must trust Him for the ultimate outcome. When we ask for something we must remember that God can say, “yes”, “no”, or “not now”. Just as a parent does, we do not always give our children what they ask for.

Just as a surgeon does - sometimes doctors must do things that hurt us terribly, but is necessary for our good. We may never see the reason or understand the reason for why certain things happen, but we must trust that God will ultimately work all things according to His purpose. Not that He does everything, but that He turns every act, good or evil, into conformity with is ultimate will.

Trust, pray, have faith. These are sometimes very difficult to do. But, the alternative - despair - is so easy. Don’t give in yldstrk. Satan, death, suffering cannot take away our victory over all that they throw at us. One day, in just a short time - after all how long is 70 or 80 years compared to eternity? - we will be with Him where all tears are wiped away, all pain and suffering will be forgotten.