God & the Tsunami

"How do we find God after losing so much in a historic tragedy? How much is our faith and a higher power tested by the tsunami killing more than 150,000 people in a matter of moments?" - Larry King Live, Jan 7th 2005

It was interesting hearing the various perspectives from the different faiths about God's role in the Tsunami.

This was something that was at the back of my mind but I never gave it much thought.

As a Christian, I believe that God is sovereign. Which means that He allows this to happen. Is He then responsible for this? Some Christians have a definite answer, where they explain with logic and reason, the reasons why such devastation and loss has to happen. Frankly, I don't have an answer. And I'm comfortable with that.

Christian education has a branch called Apologetics which is a systematic, positive and intelligent defense of the Christian faith. It is not negative, as it does not condemn the other faiths, although comparative religion is often included.

While Christian Apologetics is invaluable and has its place, there can be instances where Christians can use reason and intelligent argument to answer difficult questions in a way that makes things too simplistic.

Like the Tsunami question.

Personally, I think the best answer is - We really don't know.

But we have faith in God.

Faith is one of the pillars of Christianity, along with Hope and Love. In fact, the Bible says that without faith, it is impossible to please God. So, it's ok not to have all the answers but it's important to believe.

To believe in a God who loves us. Who died for us. Who gave us life. Who commanded us to live a life of fruifulness. Who commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Who commanded us to take care of the orphans and the widows.

We may not have all the answers, but we have enough answers to play a massive role in relieving the suffering of people all over the world. Perhaps it's time to stop asking questions.

It's time to provide the answers.