"How could a loving and kind God allow such a tragedy as occurred in New York?" That is the question that numbers have been asking over the past week and a half. The absolute horror of the scene that unfolded before our eyes; the incredible picture of a laden passenger jet disappearing into the tower and then erupting into a ball of flame; and then the horrendous sight of the two mighty towers collapsing into clouds of dust left us stupefied, struggling to find some meaning and purpose in what we had seen.

The scenes that unfolded before us would have been almost unbelievable if they had come from Hollywood. But this was real, and made infinitely worse by the realisation that we were watching thousands of ordinary people going to their death. Thankfully, the numbers that are missing, presumed dead, are much lower than the original projections. But, with that number now over 6000, this has still been a major disaster.

There have been worse disasters. The earthquake in India at the beginning of this year is reported to have killed many more. But this happened at the business centre of the most advanced, wealthy and powerful nation on earth. And we watched it happen! It was ordinary people like you and me who died so suddenly that Tuesday.

Moreover, this was not some chance event of nature, the inevitable consequence of natural forces like an earthquake. This was the murderous act of a few fanatics, who, in the name of their religion struck at the heart of a supposedly Christian nation. It is perfectly valid to ask "Where was God?" "How could a loving and kind God allow such a tragedy?"

The answer to such questions in such circumstances is never simple, but the bible does provide us with some clues. The Scrupture Union Readings this week have taken us to the prophet Joel, who wrote his prophecy at a time of great national suffering. The details of this are not as clear from Joel's description. He may have been referring to a terrible plague of locusts, along with a prolonged period of drought. Or else he could have been speaking of a mighty invading army. Whatever was the problem, it had caused great destruction and suffering in the land of God's own people. And it induced the inevitable question "Where is God?"

Joel responded to this under the prophetic anointing of God's Spirit. His first point was to call for Repentance: a wholehearted return to the Lord. (Joel 2:12) It is interesting to note that the first message that Jesus preached, as Mark records, was "Repent". (Mark 1:15) Similarly, the response Jesus gave to the news of terrible tragedies in his own land was: "Unless you repent, you too will all perish." (Luke 13:3,5)

This does not mean that those who perished were worse sinners than those who escaped. Jesus made that point very clear. Rather, it means that these tragedies are reminders of the fragility of this life, and the need for us all to be constantly in a state of repentance and wholehearted devotion to our Lord, who alone is our hope for eternity.

What is more, we need to be sure that it is in the Lord Jesus to whom our heart is turned, not to some other god. The Bible is very careful to identify the true God by name, in distinction to the many other gods of other religions. That distinction is often blurred today, in our multicultural society, but Jesus is the only Way, Truth and Life.

The second point Joel makes is to Reaffirm God's character. He uses identical terms to what God himself used when He revealed Himself to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and he reminds us of several important aspects of God's character.

Firstly, God is Gracious. It was encouraging to hear the hymn "Amazing Grace" broadcast around the world in the early days following the New York tragedy. Yet, while most of us know the words, our hearts often fail to grasp their truth. There is something rooted deeply in the human heart that drives us to try and earn God's favour, when he has already given it freely by His grace.

Secondly, Joel reminds us that God is Compassionate. He does not sit aloof from the tragedies and sufferings of this world. He is deeply moved by our pain. We see this in Jesus, who on numerous occasions was "moved with compassion" at the sufferings of others who ultimately wept at the suffering he saw coming on the city that rejected him.

The third aspect of God's character is that He is Slow to Anger. The word that Joel used can also be translated "long suffering". The story of God's dealing with His people in the Old Testament shows this: Although He had promised very clearly that they would be punished for their sin, He held back, and held back, and held back until He could hold back no longer.

Fourthly, Joel says that God Abounds in Love. This is, perhaps, the most important point of all. The Bible resounds throughout with the message of God's love. The Bible is full of examples of God's love, but clearest of all, God demonstrates His love to us in the gift of His Son. While we may not understand how the love of God could be operating in the tragedy of New York, we know that whatever God does, or allows, comes from His heart of love.

John Davies
23 September 2001