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NASB | Psalm 146:9 The LORD protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, But He thwarts the way of the wicked. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Psalm 146:9 The LORD protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow; But He makes crooked the way of the wicked. |
Bible Question:
I would like to ask you a question about something that has dramatically shaken my faith. So far I had understood that God was the protector of the fatherless and was concerned with the hungry. But I've seen these pictures of African children, adolescents and older dying in their skin and bones by hunger litery withering. Well, after that, the only thing I could think of is that God in fact doesn't hear the cry of the oppressed and hungry and that they die mercilessly with no energy to utter any cry any longer. As a matter of fact, this is not new as you can check on the following verses where God didn’t intervene either: NAS Judges 19:25 But the men would not listen to him, so the man seized his concubine and brought her out to them. And they raped her and abused her all night until morning, then let her go at the approach of dawn. NAS Judges 19:27 When her master arose in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, then behold, his concubine was lying at the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. Judges 19:28-29 28 And he said to her, "Get up and let us go," but there was no answer. Then he placed her on the donkey; and the man arose and went to his home. 29 When he entered his house, he took a knife and laid hold of his concubine and cut her in twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout the territory of Israel. My question: If God doesn't attend these, why would he hear me or you? Why pray? Thank you, |
Bible Answer: Consider the case of Job. Here is a man of such integrity that his credentials were impeccable: “Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion.” (Job 1:1, The Message) Yet God allowed loss of wealth, health, friends and family, complete ruin and devastation. God's ways are inscrutable. After many chapters God finally speaks up and answers Job by basically asking who are you to question Me? The example you gave is certainly horrible, but throughout the history of the church there have been many who have been burned at the stake, drowned, tortured, left fatherless, homeless, destitute, all of which were not deserving of such treatment. Hebrews 11 provides many examples of faithful, then explains “They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated men of whom the world was not worthy, wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.” (Heb 11: 37-38, NASB). And the apostle Paul was no stranger to hardship, exhorting us to endure in spite of the injustice (2 Corinthians 6:3-10). Finally consider what our Savior Himself suffered. Still, He exhorted us to pray. Why pray? Prayer is not a magical incantation. God is not a celestial Santa Claus. While it is not a sin to pray for our needs, to pray for protection, to pray for things we want, God can and does say NO. God ALWAYS answers our prayer according to what is BEST for us. It may not seem best to us, but He knows us and our circumstances far better than do we. And He loves us more than we can know on this side of eternity! Prayer has as its chief and most important blessing the joy of being in His presence. We will spend eternity with Him. If we cannot find pleasure in five minutes of prayer today, how can we expect to enjoy an eternity in His presence? It is through His change in us that we will find our joy in Him. The same is true for our sufferings. If we find our joy in Him, we can endure suffering for His sake. The suffering of the innocent and defenseless is indeed tragic. Yet God allows it. He even allows the dismemberment of the innocent and defenseless unborn. And He does all of this so that we can see Him in contrast to the evil that is in the world. Pray to be in His presence. Pray to have your heart changed by Him, conformed to Him. Pray for wisdom to understand His ways. Pray for the end to suffering, especially of the innocent and defenseless. But regardless, pray – pray for all things, always, in everywhere, under all circumstances, and without ceasing. |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Ps 146:9 | Author | ||
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Finder | ||
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AllenRhoades | ||
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Jim H. | ||
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azurelaw | ||
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stjohn |