Message from Scripture: 2/18/2021

Today our message from Scripture comes from Rom. 8:23. “ Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”

Let any natural disaster occur, and the question is inevitably asked, “Where was God in this?”  In the political realm, when evil seems to gain the upper hand in the matters of a nation, some ask, “Where is God in this?  Why would he allow such things to happen?”  The nature of the questions implies God must not exist, or He must be weak and ineffective, or even worse, perhaps He is evil himself to allow evil to exist.

Paul reminded the Colossians that all things were made through God in Christ, and that in Him all things consist, or hold together (Col. 1:16-17).  The answer to the question, “Where is God” then, is where He’s always been, in charge of all His creation.

The issue isn’t with God, but us. We all sin, and sin comes with consequences, altering how creation functions (Gen. 3:17-18).  Paul wrote, “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” (8:22).  Sin is the reason our world is filled with evil and all its consequences.

So, where is God in all this?  Fulfilling his eternal purpose, as He has always done.  Paul reminds us, “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar” (Rom. 3:3-4).  There is a day when all sin, all evil, will be dealt with in His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:10).  God reminds us, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares 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” (Isa. 55:8-9).  The question isn’t if God is still in charge, but whether or not we are willing to trust the sovereignty of God. God bless.

Robert