Tragedy in America

by Rayola Kelley

Q: How can a God of love allow a tragedy of such proportion to happen in New York City and Washington DC?

A: It amazes me how we Americans take credit for all the blessings we enjoy, but blame God whenever there is a tragedy. I realize that those who are blaming God for this tragedy are unbelievers who are looking for excuses to be skeptics and mockers of God. But, what about Christians who ask the same question?

When we deal with the evil acts of man, God is not in the equation. This is the reason these acts take place; therefore, how can we blame Him for the terrible actions of deluded fanatics? James 1:13-15 confirms this: “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempeth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

You might say that God had the power to stop it. This is true to an extent, but man has his own free choice and I have noticed in my own life that warnings I chose to ignore are always there before failure and destruction occurred. America was no exception in this tragedy. It was warned but instead of becoming vigilant, the Americans ignored it or brushed it off as an idle threat. After all, such things never happen on American soil, but it did.

This tragedy is a wake-up call. It proves that America is an unwalled nation that is not infallible or beyond destruction. I believe God allowed this to happen because He has lifted His hand from America because of sin. Undoubtedly, we stand vulnerable. Regardless of the patriotic sentiment and rhetoric about our greatness and strength as a nation, if God is not for this nation, it already stands ready to be toppled by a few fanatics.

My prayer is that the church will realize the urgency of the times in which we live and prepare itself spiritually to stand in the gap on behalf of this nation and the lost souls of men. After all,“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).