Would love to get a satifying answer.
Read Job.
God loves us all, even barry.
He gave us free will, which means he allows Satan to create liberals. If everyone always was “right” then how would we know when we have made a moral choice or not?
In the same way we elected Ronald Magnus Reagan (and the Bushes who were, overall the right people at the right time) and, more recently, the 2010 Tea Party slam, God expects us to TCB ourselves. When we ask for His intervention, we ask for wisdom and clarity in our thinking, not lightning from Above to lay our “enemies” low.
Intercession prayers are to request relief from suffering — not vanquishing it.
Don't know, Canuck. But I struggle every day with the same questions.
God’s plans are not our plans and His timeline is not our timeline.
All of this is happening for a reason.
You are an important part of that reason.
Imagine how many others are feeling exactly the same way you do right now and will express their dismay at the injustice of it all at the polls in ‘12.
Until then, pray fervently for God’s mercy upon our nation.
It is my belief that God Himself will have to intervene, whether directly or via His children if America is to survive.
A lot of repentance for our nation’s sins can’t hurt, either.
Hopefully, someone with a better answer will come along, soon.
I’m not really worthy to be speaking on God’s behalf.
Stalin lived a very long, very comfortable life.
That's not what matters. And I'm not even talking about the afterlife. I'm talking about peace of mind and quality. Above-mentioned Stalin, while he had physical comfort, had to worry every moment about being deposed or assassinated. Not fun.
And then there IS the topic of the afterlife.
Watch and learn.
Isn’t because our faith must be tested?
Be thankful they’re not feeding us to the lions. That’s the way I try to look at it.
Its called free will. Either we have it or we don't.
We do, and it comes at a very high price. But without it, life is meaningless.
Without free will you are simply a cog in a larger machine performing its designed function with no choice. You can do no right or wrong. You are just following a preprogrammed script.
With free will you have a choice. With those choices come consequences. With free will comes the testing of ones character, ones individual struggle to overcome evil.
It as simple as that...
At least that's my 2 cents...
Scripture says Israel was always given the King she deserved. We cannot blame God for the millions of babies we have murdered. We cannot blame God for the millions of dollars that we have spent supporting the “Hollywood” agenda spewed forth in it’s films. We cannot blame God for being a nation hell bent on breaking all of His Ten Commandments. Do you not see, we have made this mess not God!
He gave us a way to live righteously, to follow His Commandments. He said those who would blessings would overtake their efforts. Those who rejected His Commandments would be overtaken by curses. We have done this to ourselves. The church has been and is weak and impotent. We have not walked in righteousness because of so much deception and dependence on man made doctrines and traditions. We have been rendered weak and impotent. A strong church could stand up and turn away this darkness that has overrun our country and society.
May God help us repent and return to HIM. But please don’t blame God...He has left man to his free will choices and these choices are the momentum behind our problems, not God/Yahweh.
Scripture says Israel was always given the King she deserved. We cannot blame God for the millions of babies we have murdered. We cannot blame God for the millions of dollars that we have spent supporting the “Hollywood” agenda spewed forth in it’s films. We cannot blame God for being a nation hell bent on breaking all of His Ten Commandments. Do you not see, we have made this mess not God!
He gave us a way to live righteously, to follow His Commandments. He said those who would blessings would overtake their efforts. Those who rejected His Commandments would be overtaken by curses. We have done this to ourselves. The church has been and is weak and impotent. We have not walked in righteousness because of so much deception and dependence on man made doctrines and traditions. We have been rendered weak and impotent. A strong church could stand up and turn away this darkness that has overrun our country and society.
May God help us repent and return to HIM. But please don’t blame God...He has left man to his free will choices and these choices are the momentum behind our problems, not God/Yahweh.
Psalm 73
Your in good company brother most of the Prophets asked God the same thing - why do the good suffer and the wicked prosper? Song of Solomon, Job and Jeremiah might give you some light but the real question is why do I prosper at times when I do wrong things? and maybe - who says I am good?
Mel
Creation’s story plays out like a drama on purpose (God’s purpose). There is an accounting at the end. It’s good that people are disgusted. That means God is acting in those people. Be still and know that He is God.
2. God gave Israel a king because they demanded one -- and they then had to suffer the consequences. The government gives handouts and services because so many people demand them, and the nation has to suffer the consequences.
3. When you ask God to punish someone, you are placing your judgement and agenda over His in your heart. You are, in reality, asking God to curse someone. Even if you are doubly convinced the person deserves it, it is still not a good idea. 4. An analogy: When I take my dog to the vet, the dog doesn't understand why the otherwise nice man hurts him (gives him a shot). Nor does he directly connect the pain of the shot with feeling better later. That is because the concept and knowledge of the vet is too far beyond my puppy's intellectual grasp. In a like manner, when God causes -- or allows -- things which bring us pain, the concept and knowledge of God is so far beyond our intellectual grasp that we cannot necessarily understand, or always connect, the pain with a later benefit. And possibly, the benefit might not be for us, but for God.
Just my .02. But keep in mind -- I don't present myself as a Bible scholar or supremely insightful kind of guy -- these are just ideas I've ginned up while thinking about the same questions you asked.
So you want God to be “just” and stamp down all those sinners. If you really want that then prepare to be stomped. We are all sinners and fall short of where God wants us.
God looks at us individually. He wants a personal relationship. So it is best not to worry about others and their relationship with God, but at your own.
As far as the bad guys getting their way, then look at doing something about it. I know some guys that did just that, like Amos, Joel, Isaiah, Jeremiah... Or a newer version call Jim Robinson. You can still make a difference.
Meanwhile, I will keep thanking God that he does not exercise justice to me but loves me in spite of all I do that displeases Him.
Bflr
I know it is hard to keep thinking, “God is Just.”
I ponder it nearly everyday lately and we’re not yet practicing our religion underground like they are in the Middle East.
Some say to read Job. God permitted Satan to test Job. Job didn’t choose his situation through bad choices or sinful ways. God permitted it, God chose it for him.
I ponder the prophets and the positions they were required to fulfill for God’s just will to be done.
The Bible tells us if our name’s are not written in the book of life, we will not get into heaven. Names are slain from the book. God already knows the outcome and yet here we are considering ourselves as having ‘free will’ and a ‘just God.’ If there is a prophecy to be fulfilled is there free will?
Revelations tells us when the book of life is opened on judgment day it is our deeds that will be used to judge us. Not the blood of Christ. If your name isn’t in the book...lake of fire for you! The book is the book of life...you want your name in that book. Not vice-a-versa as it seems some Christians think.
The prophecy of end times says there will be a great falling away. I believe this is what we are witnessing. But it raises the question if it is God’s will...that many perish into the lake of fire, who are deceived on purpose to fulfill His will...how is that just?
It is the same type of question I often ask about God, Jesus, and Judas. Judas had to “choose” what he did to fulfill the prophecy...saint or sinner?
The ‘free will’ argument doesn’t launder very well with me. Some must choose sin in order to fulfill prophecy. The Bible is riddled with such situations and stories of God allowing this or that...
The Bible predicts what is going on; how evil will be called good and good will be called evil. It talks of the decline of world-wide societies and globalism. In the Old Testament, God favored some good men and trounced some disobedient men. In the New Testament, we have only two tasks - to love God, and to love each other - He will decide when to take the others to task. Jesus told His folks “resist not evil” - let the evil-doers have their way. Our job is to carry the message of His love and the path to salvation - final handling of evil-doers is His job.
If God were fair and just wouldn’t things be better?
But
If God were unfair and unjust wouldn’t things be worse?
The guarantees are not in this life, they come after.