Cries of “Allahu Akbar” or “God is great” were heard all across the capitol city of Tripoli today. Moammar Gadhafi, Libya's former dictator of 42 years, has finally been killed. Ousted by rebels in a bloody civil war, I can't say that I blame these people for wanting to see Gadhafi's evil reign come to an end. At the same time, I am left concerned and heartbroken.
The question of why a loving God would allow suffering in the world is brought up time and time again. It is probably the number one question I hear posed amongst atheists and agnostics today. I must admit, this is an immensely difficult subject to grasp, much less master.
Some of the Libyan people have never known anything but the evil reign of terror Gadhafi held over them. At the same time, this has been a horrific time of bloodshed. Throughout the time it has taken to get to this point, many have died. Yet, through all of their pain and agony they cry "God is great"?
We can cheer right along with all of these people that Moammar Gadhafi is dead. But what about all the other people that have died? And what about the people who really cared about Gadhafi? All of these people have to carry on. They are hurting, confused, and lost.
How could a loving God allow such horror? If God is omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipotent (all-powerful), why couldn't he just stop the evil?
If we trust God, we know He is not helpless in helping us. He created us with free-will. That is the only way that we are able to openly express our love to Him. Without it, we would simply be robots. Of course, the flip side of that is the evil we see every day.
God has a purpose in all things. We may not always see that purpose, but we can be assured that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
As you continue to hear about the war torn nation of Libya and its surrounding areas, take a moment to lift these people up in prayer. Pray for their salvation. Pray for the leaders to be upright people. Furthermore, pray that God would heal their hardened and broken hearts.
Here in the states, we not only have the freedom to pray, we can openly share God's love. If you are uncomfortable with starting a conversation, take it to another level. Show God's love with your actions. People don't really want to be preached to anyway. They want to see you living out your faith.
I leave you today with a passage from The Message Bible. Take a moment to read it out loud. The passion in James' writing is evident! After you are through reading, stop to think about what it is that you can do in your life to share God's love. It doesn't need to be some outrageous act. You could simply take a time of reflection to try to see what God has been trying to teach you. What lessons have you learned from the bad you have experienced in your life. Can you share them with another person? Do you see someone in need? Are you able to tangibly help them?
James 2:14-18
Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department." Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
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