where God was when the tsunami struck

i was pretty happy when a headache struck me at around 130am. it means that i am now able to sleep earlier. but after tossing around in the bed for a while, i heard my phone sound -- someone msged me. And i realised that it's 2am. i can't sleep.


So, here i am. trying to make full use of my time. Dennis mentioned during combined ulm today about an article in the commentary section in sat's straits times newspaper..It's written in reply to another article titled "Where God was when the tsunami struck" This topic, coincidentally, was the same as that we were discussing online. So.. here's a summary.


It was argued that if the all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good God controls all of creation, he must also be the author of, and oversees, all evil too. Yet, how can a good God permit evil?


If God permits evil, God is probably not omnipotent, because He is limited by first, man's free will and, secondly, by natural laws, such as those which decreed that when tectonic plates shift far enough in the right places, tsunamis inevitably follow. God should be able to control His creation.


It was then rebutted that we assume that a benevolent deity must, by definition, be benevolent to everything in his creation -- every inanimate and animate thing, but especially each and every human being. But, must He?


This assumption constitutes of a man-centred view, where man is in the centre of God's plan.


What about a God-centred plan? It is God who decrees and brings to pass everything according to his will, for his own purpose and glory. If that makes God sound selfish and self-centred, think about a god who brings everything to pass for someone else's purpose and glory rather than his: That someone is necessarily a creature, like man, which would make god an idolater who worships creatures. That cannot be.


In a God-centred view, when the tsunami struck, God was where he always is -- on his throne, working out his will, perfectly.


Sounds quite hard for an unbeliever to take. But what is amazing is that though God is able to do anything he want with us, his minute creation, he chose to, out of his love for us, to bound himself to his word, that he gave us as a promise, that every single word in the bible will come to pass. And it is written in the bible after the great flood in Noah's time, that God promised never to destroy mankind completely. It's God's grace that sustains our every breath. For he owes us none that he should provide for our breath, our pumping of the heart, our voice, our ability to think, blah blah blah...


So when our mindset changes to that which is God-centred, God's grace becomes so rich and real in our lives. It's all in our perspective.