Why, God? Part Two

In my 67 years on this earth I thought I had just about seen it all . . . until September 11, 2001. On that day I got a new understanding of the total depravity of humanity. And, as a byproduct, I have a new appreciation for the gifts of liberty and life itself—for the love of my wife, my family, and my friends—and for the power of the human spirit to press on and to recover from tragedy, no matter the sacrifice or cost.

Now we are, once again, at war as a nation. Our enemy is demonic and deceitful. Though identified by the frightening sounding name "terrorism," he is a coward to the core. He tries his best to intimidate us through repeated and savage acts of aggression and thereby paralyze us in fear. We witnessed on September 11 the limitless depths to which he will go to bring us down.

But those of us who believe in Jesus Christ will neither fear nor fail. We will not consider any sacrifice too great or any cost too high. Because we know that in the end God always wins, we know we will win. As a brave brother of the faith, Martin Luther, wrote over five hundred years ago, "His rage we can endure, for lo his doom is sure."

And so, let us follow our earthly commander in chief with fidelity and loyalty. Let us walk directly into the sneer of the enemy with relentless resolve. Let us kneel before the Lord our Sovereign God with fresh faith. Let us trust Him through Jesus Christ our Savior with repentant hearts, with quiet confidence, and absolute dependence. By doing these things we can be certain of this final outcome, as the Psalmist once declared: "Through God we shall do valiantly" (Psalm 60:12).

Still, in our heart of hearts we whisper, "Why, God?"

Charles R. Swindoll Tweet This

Excerpted from Why, God? Calming Words for Chaotic Times, Copyright © 2001 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. For additional information and resources visit us at www.insight.org.

Praise His Name!

The act of worship can be hard to define at times. So, with the help of Psalm 150, Pastor Chuck breaks down some of the elements of worship and what it does and does not include.