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SPEAKING TO THE SOUL

You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals!”
Psalm 90:3 NLT

Knowing that God endures forever cannot disguise the fact that human mortality passes in a flash. When we were children, time seemed endless and forever. I am now in my 60s; decades seem to have passed in a flash. Despite medical advances, we are mortal. However, not everyone lives to or beyond “threescore years and ten” (Psalm 90:10, KJV). Death can call at any moment. Children die of disease. Whole communities are slaughtered for ideological or religious reasons. The reality of evil surrounds us and is well documented on 24/7 news platforms.

God is often the focus of blame for unwelcome tragedy. I am not certain why, apart from the fact that it is often necessary to transfer our own pain onto someone we can blame. The remarkable thing is God makes no attempt to speak in his defence and can carry such blame. Indeed, it is in part what held Jesus to the cross. It is the role of the scapegoat to carry away the evil whose cause is unseen.

When gazing on an innocent infant about to return to dust due to sickness, I have no slick answer. All I can acknowledge is that mortality finds its true expression in God and eternity is the true home for the human spirit. I believe that those who die young can enjoy that eternity. I recognise, having experienced deep grief, that the pain is carried by those who survive. Is there a way I can seek consolation in God, even as I am unable to comprehend the purpose in my loss?

I know that the challenging issue of evil and God’s part in my troubles will continue throughout my life. My only response is to hold to God, even as I carry the many questions that I cannot fathom. This is a further expression of faith.

QUESTION

Do you wrestle over the lack of fairness in the world?

PRAYER

I am grateful for the blessings and freedoms I enjoy. I pray for those who are struggling today with loss, injustice and sickness.


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