What end do tragedies like Mumbai serve? As with theTower of Siloam and Pilate's human sacrifices they are there to remind you and me and all people that, "unless you repent, you will all likewise perish," (Luke 13:3).
All things belong to Him. All things are under his sovereign orchestration. All things are upheld by the "word of His power," (Heb 1:3). From the death of Naomi's husband and sons (Ruth 1:1-5, 13, 21) to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans whom God unbelievably "raised up," (Hab 1:6) God knows it all and holds it all in the palm of His hand.
As Abraham Kuyper has famously stated, "there is not one square inch over which the risen Christ does not say 'Mine!'"
Rather than responding in rebellion, fury, and despair respond with weeping for the dead, sorrow for the lost, and praise to God who, "is good and does good," (Ps 119:68) whether it is through the gospel spoken to the poor or through the gun of a terrorist.
Perhaps this should even be a wake up call to you and I of India's desperate need of missionaries.
The Bible does not allow us to degrade God and get Him "off the hook" when it comes to things like Mumbai, He is sovereignly in charge, but it does call for our worship of the benevolent, personal, great, mighty, powerful, and holy God of the universe whose rock solid hope we can rejoice in even in the greatest of tribulations (Rom 5:3-5) and most certainly calls us to repentance so that we do not perish in the same way.
Soli Deo Gloria
R. D. Thompson
2 comments:
You said, "What end do tragedies like Mumbai serve? As with the Tower of Siloam and Pilate's human sacrifices they are there to remind you and me and all people that, "unless you repent, you will all likewise perish," (Luke 13:3)."
I just read nearly the exact phrase in Spurgeon's sermon following the Surrey Music Hall catastrophe. A good thought, and very liberating from superstition.
PS: Your photos are excellent in their own right. By the way, I'm planning a rather interesting photo project involving homeless people slated for sometime in the next six months, depending on weather and things. I'll let you know more later.
It's a huge relief as well, placing our whole hearts in trust in God rather than constantly worrying about "what stuff must mean." I suppose that's what you mean by "superstition" though :)
I don't know anything abut the Surrey Music Hall catastrophe. Which sermon is it in? I have a collection of his sermons and would be most interested in reading that one.
I MUST know when you do the project. I would LOVE to shoot on that theme WITH you sometime. We really need to find a way to meet.
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