God, Why?

Why Would God Permit the Tragic Events of September 11, 2001?

Many are asking these days why God would allow such a tragedy as the death and destruction which occurred in the September 11th terrorist attacks on America. As a sinful human being with very limited understanding of the ways of God, I will not presume to speak on His behalf and try, as some have done, to explain God’s reasonings for permitting this evil attack to occur. I will, however, let God speak for Himself if any care to listen.

In Luke 13:1ff., Jesus was told of certain Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Jesus asked, "Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Applying Jesus’ words to those who died in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania, were these people worse sinners than others, including us, who survived? Jesus said, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."

In 2 Peter 3, the Bible speaks of God’s final judgment upon this earth, and we learn why it has not yet occurred. Verse 9 says: "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." The events of September 11th, though terrible, could have been much worse. Stop and think about the possibilities. Why hasn’t such a tragic death come to more Americans? Why hasn’t God permitted death to come suddenly upon us? His answer: He "is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Perhaps--no, most definitely--we ought use the remaining time God has given us in this world to consider what He has told us in the Bible, repent of the evil in our lives, and seek the forgiveness God offers us through the death of His Son!

Randy Moll