Part 2 - If God Isn't Sovereign

Perhaps I'll speak first of God's sovereignty in His acts of providence. In light of the Virginia Tech incident, I believe this might be a proper place to start. Some, in these times, will turn to God for comfort and peace, yet, at the same time many may be hardened at a time like this.

The questions arise amongst natural unbelieving man, perhaps even amongst some Christians, how can God let such things happen? Where was God in all this? Why do bad things happen to good people? These questions are nothing new though. Throughout history we have seen genocides, world wars, mass murders, and pain and suffering. For a mind set at enmity with God, its easy to have such objections to a "loving and all-powerful" God , who seems to have no problem with letting these things happen to people.

So then what is the response? Is God not all-knowing, all-powerful, and sovereign over all things? Are these things out of his control or unknown to Him before they happen? Of course not.Lets think for a minute. Who gives life? Most atheist/agnostics love to point out that God kills many many people in the Bible, and they ask, is He not evil? If they stopped and thought of the absurdity of the remark they may not have asked such a question in the first place. The only reason they have enough breath to utter such a comment is because of God's sustaining grace.

Job understood the implications after his sons and daughters were killed, he didn't blame Satan or some other cause he says:

"The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." -Job 1:21-

Job understood the sovereignty of God's action, God willed it and it was done, God gives and sustains life and God can easily take that away. For the grieving Christian parent of a child who died in such an atrocity, they can say with Job these same words and be comforted that in such trials and in such pain the Lord has promised something very very comforting:

"We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28-

I do not wish to trivialize the mourning and the grief, I cannot even fathom the depth of sorrow in such an event, but I do know this much, the Lord's hand is in all things and he will bring good out of evil for all believers. I'll come back to providence because of course there is much more that can be said of the mystery of God's providence.