In Times When God Makes Himself Seems Out-of-the-Way

A Canaanite Woman called out Jesus, "Have pity on, me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon." Jesus did not reply but she keeps on calling, "Lord help me!" Then Jesus said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  It's not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." The woman replied "Please, Lord, even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." Then Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed from that hour (Matthew 15:21-28).

Ironically, if we’ll look at the news today, even Israel by which God had promised of salvation appears like permanently chained in adversity because it can’t seemingly be spared from uncontrollable war. 

Does God really leave us behind when we need Him most? 

We may not avoid to ponder a question like this because of different crises that we humans have been enduring.  Just like yesterday,   there was a car crashed into several vehicles when it fell from the third floor of Greenhills Shopping Center.

In different countries, there is also much harsher than this.  After Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappearance on 8 March 2014 wherein 227 passengers and 12 crews on board were declared died, another Malaysia Airlines (Flight 17) which carried 280 passengers and 15 crews was shot down in Ukraine on July 17, 2014 pointing to Putin and his terrorists as the culprit, which the latter denied asserting that their arsenal weapons are not capable of hitting a plane at 33,000ft.

Still In Ukraine, 13 people including two children were killed in fighting on Sunday between pro-Russian rebels and Ukraine government forces. Ukraine's National Defense and Security Council and law enforcement agencies  reported that 332 Ukranian soldiers have been killed and nearly 1,300 have been injured since April 7 aside from the separatists who were killed on the strife which number was unknown. 

                            

On July 24 CNN report, Air Algerie Flight 5017 which carried 116 passengers was reported without survivor. 

In Iraq, the Yazidis who were threatened by ISIS fighters were rescued by the Iraqi helicopters and the U.S. forces. The latter which is one of the world's smallest and oldest religious minorities members of a pre-Islamic sect with its roots in Zoroastrianism and ties to Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam were called by the former as "devil worshipers." If these innocents who are hounded of their lives just for religious affiliation are called such, then how do we call these people who are a menace to the community's lives? 

Two of those who were able to flee from the extremist fighters were 15-year-old Aziza Hamid and her 17-year-old sister, Dunya who were ones of the lucky few among thousands believed to be on the mountain trapped without food, water or medical care in the summer heat. 

Their dilemma started more than a week ago when they escaped into the surrounding mountains when ISIS raged the town of Sinjar.

President Barack Obama commanded an aimed airstrikes last week fairly to shield the Yazidis and others escaping ISIS. Likewise he directed humanitarian airdrops. 

At least, these initiatives along with the helicopter evacuations had caused to lower the trapped from tens of thousands to low thousands as Brett McGurk, a deputy assistant secretary of state told the CNN. CNN.

In the midst of these crises that the humanity are enduring, the usual question would be, “Where is God?” Why did He allow this to happen if He is Omnipotent God?

In all of these, we’re clueless which may bring us to ask like, “Where do we go if God seems to be inaccessible in times of distress?

We should be reminded that "we walk by faith, not by sight"(2 Corinthians 5:7); we could sense God as "in a mirror, dimly" and only "in part".

Faith may repeatedly live in darkness and be put to the test. The world where we dwell often seems very opposite from the one assured us by faith. Experiences of evil and suffering, injustice and death, seem to oppose the Good News which may wobble one’s faith and a stimulus against it. 

Faith in God can be tested by personal encounter of evil and affliction. God can sometimes seem to be missing and powerless of ending evil. However, we should not forget the reality that in the most mysterious way, the Father has revealed His almighty power in the unpaid degradation and Resurrection of His Son, by which He surmounted evil. Jesus hanged on the Cross is therefore the power and the wisdom of God as the Scripture says, “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength”(1 Corinthians 1:24-25).

Ephesians 1:19-22 And what is the surpassing greatness of His power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of His great might, which He worked in Christ, raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things beneath His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church. 

The Almighty God is boundless in kindness and goodness, and all His labors are virtuous. However, no one can run away from the experience of suffering or the evils in nature which seem to be connected with the imperfections of the creatures, and above all to the question of moral evil.

Where does evil come from? "I sought whence evil comes and there was no solution", said St. Augustine. 

Everyone's heartrending battle would only be unraveled by turning to the living God.

While evil manifests in all misfortunes at its full extent, we must not forget of God’s immeasurable grace of the Cross. Whilst the minds probe the source of evil, everyone’s eyes is asked to be fixed on our faith on Him who alone is the Defeater and the Defender.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. But the one who restrains is to do so only for the present, until he is removed from the scene.

1 Timothy 3:16 Undeniably great is the mystery of devotion, Who was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.

Romans 5:20 The law entered in so that transgression might increase but, where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more,

Luke 11:21-22 When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils.

John 16:8-11 And when He comes He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in Me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. Coming of the Advocate.

1 John 3:8 Whoever sins belongs to the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil.