I’ve heard it asked several times since September 11, 2001. Where was God? Why would He let something like this happen? You may disagree with me, but the following is my reasoning on the subject.
I believe God created the heavens and the earth and all things therein. He is everywhere, knows all things and can do all things. I don’t believe this tragedy happened without His knowledge and consent. His consent? Yes!
The people of the land of Afghanistan were under the rule of a religious organization that claimed to tolerate Christianity, but obviously did not. Anyone who heard the gospel there and believed it could be put to death for their belief.
In spite of the danger, some young Christians from America and other places went to Afghanistan to render humanitarian assistance. Did they risk the death penalty and proselytize? They said they didn’t, but is that possible? Jesus told his followers to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Spreading the gospel is supposed to be part of practicing the Christian religion. They may not have meant to break the law, but may have been as Apostles Peter and John, who said when told not to preach the gospel, "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." And later, Apostle Peter said, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." Just like the Apostles, the Christians in Afganistan were put in prison and were about to go on trial for their very lives for doing nothing more than what God had commanded them.
People here in America had adopted an indifferent attitude. We thought the plight of those young Christians was terrible, but not terrible enough for us to do anything. We thought the Taliban’s inhumane treatment of the people of Afghanistan was terrible, but not terrible enough for us to do anything. God could have sent an earthquake to open the jail and an angel to lead the Christians to safety. You’ll find in the Bible where He did just that in the book of Acts. But that would not have freed the people of Afghanistan to hear and believe the gospel. God prefers to work through people, so He shook us up, made us care again, and gave us the good will and assistance of the world by allowing an enemy to rise up successfully against us. No, I do not believe He sent the terrorists, but I believe He could have stopped them and did not. I suspect He knew that nothing less than such a tragedy as September 11th would shake us out of our apathy and spur us on to action.
For God does not see death as we see it. We see it as the end. He sees it as a doorway through which all of us will pass sooner or later from this life to everlasting life or everlasting torment in the next. And what He wants for each of us is everlasting life.
Where was God? Standing by to take to heaven His people who were caught in the inferno. Where was God? Causing delays that kept certain people out of the Towers that day. Where was God? Giving some people a taste of Hell on earth and a last chance to call on Him for salvation before the Towers fell and their lives ended. Where was God? Where He always is; everywhere, working in the heart of each person, and building His kingdom by coaxing people, one by one, to do His will of their own free will.
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