Where Is your God? What to Believe When God Can't Be Explained

well, in light of the horrific school shooting at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis this week, where to praying children were inexplicably murdered. It's tragic but I felt led to talk to you today about a topic of trust in the face of tragedy trusting. In the face of tragedy tragedy, the title of the sermon is where is your god? Where is your god? A subtitle, a would be another way what to believe when God can't be explained what to believe when God can't be explained. Now, in full disclosure, the heart of the sermon did not originate with me and I want to give credit where credit's due the outline and some of these thoughts came out of a sermon. I first read more than 20 years ago written by a pastor named Rick is Zell. I don't know, the man. Personally if you are I moved in southern baptist circles. We might know his name. I understand. How do you say popular in those churches? But I was reading a sermon he had written and God brought that sermon to my mind yesterday, as I Was preparing a Hopefully a different sermon for today that it's important that we deal and speak to this issue. It was an appropriate message back. Then it seems more timely to me today and we have to remember that God's truths are Eternal God's word always speaks to today's evils. So I'll let's pray together, you pray for me as I preach and let's pray for God to give us some answers today from his word if if possible, pray with me, Our Father in heaven today, we bow before you seeking your help. Seeking that the spirit of God might and molding us to find answers in the word of God. Father. It's not that we have any answers to these unanswerable questions. The why, and the how long are rarely answered? But father in the midst of suffering in the midst of Heartache, in the midst of tragedy, which seems to come more and more often in our culture today. God, I pray, you might help us to turn to this book and a find some solution to find some answers to bolster our faith. And father, I find, I pray, we might find also some answers that would make an eternal difference in our lives and have significance for for heaven or hell. And Eternity. Father, would you minister to us? We ask in Jesus name, amen.

Well, you've heard the accounts in the news, you've seen it all over social media, you can escape the sickening to stress of it. I loathe really to retell of it, but I don't think it can be ignored reading from an article that was published two days ago by ABC News. Quote police have identified the suspect who they say open fire outside of church, the Catholic School in Minneapolis, killing two children and injuring 18 others as twenty-three-year-old Robin with an eight-year-old boy and a ten-year-old girl were shot and killed when the gunmen fired Through the Windows of a church of the Annunciation Catholic school on Wednesday. Morning police said, the shooter died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said Department of Homeland Security secretary, Kristi noem also confirm the identity of the suspect calling Westmont a deranged monster. Quote, this level of violence is Unthinkable. Our deepest prayers are with the children parents families, Educators and Christians everywhere, we mourn with them. We pray for healing. And we will never forget, then known said in a statement, the article goes on to identify this murderer as a male. Who wanted to be a female? A transgender. The article says drivers license information, review, by ABC News, describes Westman is a female born on June 17th. 2002 an ancient name change application for a minor born on the same day. It was approved by District Court Minnesota in 2020. Changing the name of a Robert Westman to Robin Westman explaining the minor child quote, identifies as a female and wants her neighbors. Like that identification. It's also been discovered that the murderer had worked at a legalized marijuana dispensary in the liberal state of Minnesota and Time Magazine reports, that law enforcement investigators found a written Manifesto. They found YouTube videos that have been posted as well as written notebooks and the suspects home. That show the murderer had deliberately and meticulously planned this ruthless attack. In fact, it was stated in the notebooks that he specifically wanted to avoid parents. The quote kill as many children as possible. In one notebook, there's a sticker that says defend equality and has an lgbtqia Flagg overlaid with a gun on it. In another note book, there was an image of Jesus drawing with the target over him. A video clip, depicted a smoke grenade with the words, Jew gas written on it and a pro Holocaust Logan quote, 6 million wasn't enough. Inscribed on gun magazines, depicted in the video, the killer had written the phrases for the children. Another one said, kill Donald Trump. And a third quite telling. I said, where is your god?

Where is your? God.

And now dozens of Talking Heads on TV, have hundreds of opinions. About the psychological nature of these Troublesome events in the confusion of this Godless murderer. Who couldn't figure out if he was a boy or girl. In the Liberals are screaming. Don't blame transgenders, blame guns and harmless Democrat. Leaders are now wasting Oxygen by mocking. The prayers of these children as they laid under pews, while they were being shot at

But seemingly no one can figure out what God himself has to say, about this whole thing, nearly two thousand years ago. This is not a mental illness, this is not a psychological problem, this is not a physical problem, this is not a sexual orientation problem, this is not a drug problem. This is not a problem of broken relationships. Sure. All of those things are evidence on the surface and all of those things are problems. But there's a root cause there's a root problem in that problem is sin. As I am Send that's the problem and it was masterminded in this individual's Life by the God of this world by the rulers of the darkness of This World, by spiritual wickedness in high places by the prince of the power of the air by the spirit. That now working in the children of disobedience Jesus said in Matthew chapter 8 and verse number 44, ye are of your father, the devil and the lusts of your father. You will do note two things about the devil. He was a murderer from the beginning.

He likes to destroy to kill. The main to make chaos that Spirit comes from Satan. And he was a liar. 2nd Lane. We know there's no truth in him. He Bo not in truth because there's no truth in him. And when he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own for his, a liar and the father of it. Now, this child killer is one more in a long list of those who bought into the lies of the evil one. He not only murdered others, he murdered himself. And the devil smiled. About the destruction of one more soul. The devil smile, that the death of innocent life. I don't miss that. Jesus called Satan a thief. And a killer, he said of him. And John 10:10 that the thief cometh not, but for to steal and to kill and to destroy unlike Jesus, who said? But I am come, that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. Now, listen, I'm not excusing the murderer today. I'm not trying to downplay the humanity and the horror of this great wickedness. It's really a tragedy in the highest degree. And while the ideologies that shape this killer stemmed directly from this Godless leftist woke culture that we live in today in the West. No doubt about it. This humanistic hateful age in which we live. Don't miss this. That the Demonic act that this man carried out has caused suffering and destruction and it has tragically ruined countless

and tragedy. Is hard to understand. It's hard to explain.

It's hard on her face. And some people who do tragedy and who live through pain and suffering, 10 to lay the blame, sometimes at the feet of God and Satan, God, it's your fault. This happened. I'm not just referencing the tragedy of Minneapolis. I'm talking about the tragedies that happened day by day in our lives.

We often try to put the blame of the war. Some people become bitter and cynical toward him. They ask for an explanation but they get silenced they ask for understanding yet. They remain baffled.

And can I say that life indeed, is a mystery. Much. What happens to us is beyond us. And our ability to understand, I don't pretend to understand why good Christian people have cancer. Your wife sign in Sunday school teachers, Take a Tumble down the stairs and break bones.

Or why some Believers have premature heart attacks, or why the Aged pillars of the church will get the men shower. Why some have to live with a constant pain and other same deliver of relatively trouble-free lies. These are Mysteries. And even if it were explained to us, we probably wouldn't be satisfied with the answer.

we long for sensibility, we seek explanation, we're desperate for reason, but when some Infidel asked, where is your god?

When our faith struggles to believe, what we cannot explain. Then we need to understand. One fundamental truth is inherent throughout all the scriptures. God does not explain his actions.

My God didn't do this thing. God didn't cause it. The god. Need not explain why he didn't act differently in it. Or throat.

That got really good reasons for anything. He does the events that unfold in our world, sell them seem to make sense to me. I don't know about you, but We're often confronted with this basic tenets of Christianity, which habakkuk mentions. And we find inner text today, we find it a couple of other places in scripture as well, when he says, the just shall live by his faith. The just shall live. By his faith. so in connection to trusting God in the face of tragedy, Let me ask you. Three questions about your face. About your faith. The first ones is says we turned into the book of habakkuk number one, in the face of tragedy. How is your faith? Expressed? In the face of tragedy. How is your faith? Expressed? Perhaps the greatest expression of undaunted Faith. Have her pain came from the Old Testament spokesman habakkuk you. And I don't know a lot about him, most prophets, who spoke I forgot spoke to the people on God's behalf of back, of seems to speak to God on behalf of the people. Abacus asking questions. Tobacco living in a time when it was hard on faith. When it was hard to be a believer and all of the Lord, he saw the righteous suffering and the, the wicked Prosper spring. He couldn't figure it out and it's mine. And he asked God, to questions throughout his book and the questions he asked really come in. The first few verses and chapter one. He asked why Why is this happening? Why the suffering? Why this tragedy? and he asked how long, how long must we put up with this? How long must we endure? How long till retribution comes? How long till God prevails? How long till Justice is served? and can I suggest those two questions of why, and how long go through every one of our hearts and Minds when we go through suffering and when we faced tragedy and trials in our lives, why? And how long? Habakkuk chapter 1, verses 1 through 4. The book starts this way, the burden which a backup the prophet did see O Lord. How long shall I cry? And that will not here even cry out onto the violence and thou Wilt not save. Why does that show me an equity or sin and cos me to behold, grievance for spoiling and violence her before me, it's all around. And there are that raised up strife and contention there for the lawyer slack and judgment does never go forth for the wicked. Surround her Compass about the righteous, therefore wrong judgment preceded. And he goes on to Lament The State of Affairs. Where there is a, we live in a violent cruel and just unfair culture and Society where the wicked seem to get away with everything. The righteous seem to be surrounded and suffer, and it seems like there's no equity There's no fairness. There's no Rhyme or Reason to what happens. And we are sitting beholding violence on a regular basis and seeing this mistreatment of God's people on a regular basis. And the question is God why? And how long

How long do we cry out before God Rises up and do something about it? How long do we endure? The suffering. Now got it revealed to him back in his day that the Babylonian Nation the epitome of everything habakkuk be tested in for that matter. Really God detested. How long would a blonde be used as an instrument of judgment against the Hebrew people? Now, his situation is different than our situation in this tragedy this week. But the idea that he still looked at this situation and said God, why and God how long it doesn't make sense that you would use the wicked to oppress the righteous.

Habakkuk didn't understand, he couldn't explain it. And for a Time evil one over righteousness and bad things happen to good people. Still the case today isn't it? so, it seems and yet God's hand will not move. and his face was not to be saying, And habakkuk said God why? And how long? And yet, throughout this time of punishment, this illogical and unexplainable time, God reminded habakkuk and 2:4 that the most important thing is correct living. in fact, in 2:4, behold his soul, which is lifted up, is not upright in him have access but the just Show live. By his faith. Even or not even when our soul is disquieted. Even when things aren't right internally, it seems with all that we behold around us and we don't know how to Wrecking our emotions in her feeling about what's going on in our lives. We're still reminded of this. The just shall live by his faith.

And it's not the wicked person. It's of concern here. It's the just person. It's the one who is Justified in God's eyes. For you. And I, we could never be justified based on her own Deeds of goodness. And righteousness, there's no work. We could do that, would please God.

But his Believers, we have been made righteous by the blood of Christ. weed on the roads of his righteousness as it were, And the just by faith.

the just who were saved by faith.

The just shall live by his faith.

It's one thing to say, faith saved me? But can you also say faith sustains me? Faith keeps me through the trials. Habakkuk realize it. No, he did not understand the ways of God and he did not agree with the timing of God, you may have been there yourself.

God. Why don't you help now? Not later.

But still habakkuk, could not doubt the wisdom in the love, and the reliability of God. Because this habakkuk concludes, he writes this great affirmation of his face at the end of chapter 3, starting a verse number 17, where he says, although the Fig Tree shall not blossom. Neither show fruit being the vines, the labor of the olive shall fail in. The field shall yield? No, meet the flock shall be cut off in the fold and there should be no hurting these stalls. This is a total economic and financial collapse of their society as all of their cattle and their crops are failing and an Argon. Yet, look at Verse 18, very important word yet. I will rejoice in the Lord.

I will joy in the god of my salvation. The Lord, God is my strength and he will make my feet like Hinds feet and he will make me to walk upon mine. High places. And habakkuk is affirming that even if everything he relies upon Adderley fails, if everything that instability to his life crumble, he's still going to trust in the Lord.

If a backpack were speaking today, he might want it like this. Do demon-possessed gunmen shoot children.

Do Muslims kill Christians and Jews around the world. Do disease attacks. The innocent do children. Get cancer those suffering. Plagues Our Lives, though. Economies falter though. My friend. Forsake me though. I lose my job. My home in my loved ones, even if everything else falters in my life. Still. I will trust the Lord.

My confidence in God will not waver.

Because God does not waver. it's like, Joe, but if we think of any person who suffered and endured affliction, We think of the Old Saint Joe who said this in job, 19:25 and 26. For, I know that my redeemer liveth and then he shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth, and though, after my skin worms, destroy this body yet. My flesh in my flesh. Shall I see God? He said though, he slay me yet, will I trust him? He also shall be my salvation. Listen job lost everything he had. All of his wealth. All of his children. He lost his help.

His friends mocking, his wife turned against it.

and Jobe said if God himself killed me, I am still. Going to trust God.

Wow.

What an expression of faith.

Unbelievable. Maybe you've heard the name Corrie Ten. Boom.

She knew not something about tragedy and suffering, but she lived with courageous faith. Upon emerging from a Nazi, concentration camp. She said this, there is no pit, so deep that God isn't deeper still,

She picked an apt, analogy, pain, and tragedy is a pit. Suffering is a pit. for some, it appears to be bottomless

Mini experience of falling disorientation a terror. They grabbed for the walls, they scratched against the dirt, they're just Out Of Reach and all they can see his blackness in here. Only Echoes of the life that used to know. Inform any they claim. God is not present. In my despair.

The Corrie Ten. Boom like a backpack reminds us that even in the pits of tragedy God is still there. He is present. His yes pain is real but God is real too. And that's where faith comes in. There's no pit. So deep that God is Not deeper still face reminds us that there can be a design for our lives that presently. We may not fully grasp but in time will come to trust the love of God. In the interval of time between a logic and logic between misunderstanding and understanding between questions and answers. We must still believe in God. In the face of tragedy. How do you express your face? Secondly, in the face of tragedy. What does your faith believe? What is a belief? Well. I have a few things, maybe you should jot them down. Faith believes that God is too wise to make a mistake. Faith believes that God is too wise to make a mistake.

The god of the universe, has a plan for our lives. He's busy weaving it out in his timing, not our own. But it's not always to discern the pattern of the weaving before the projects done.

Often it's about as often as Beyond as often. Maybe we're just too close to see the bigger picture of what God's doing. We view life. There's no, we're watching the parade on the street corner through a rolled up program and we only see one little bit as it passes before us and yet, God, from above sees, the whole parade. The whole sweeping movement of time. He sees what's hear, what's been in? What's to come?

His perspective is different than our perspective.

We're always wiser after the crisis to aren't, we? After the hardship. but while the crisis is occurring, Weren't aware. That God can work through this tragedy.

To help us. The shape has. Strengthen us. The moulders. To grow our faith to increase our boldness in Christ. To better our prayer life. To draw is back to his loving word. God can use this tragedy to bring new friends into our life. To show us how much are other friends really do care about us. God can use this tragedy for his good. Out of sickness and death, Souls can get saved. It's often times only when someone's lying on their back that they begin to look up. And we forget that God is good all the time and all the time, God is good.

We have to believe God is too wise to make a mistake, on the wall of a Nazi concentration camp. A prisoner had scrawled these words. I believe in the sun, even though it does not shine. I believe in love. Even when it is not shown. I believe in God. Even when he does not speak.

God is too wise to make a mistake. Here's the second thing, Faith believes Faith believes that God is too kind to be cruel. God is too kind to be cruel. Over the marble fireplace in the mathematics. Building a Princeton University written in the original German script is this scientific Credo. God is subtle. But he is not malicious.

God is subtle but he is not malicious. God is never malicious in his dealings with us. Whatever he does. whatever tragedy happens, whatever choices, evil people make,

God can still work it for good for his plan. I'm not saying everything's good. That happens. All that verse in Romans, 8:28 and 29, we know that all things work together for good to them, who to them, that love God to them, who are the called, according to his purpose or whom he needed for. No, he also did free determinar predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Listen to Sweet. Look at this verse. It does not tell us. That everything that happens is good. It isn't.

It does not say. The god causes everything to happen. God is not the author of evil.

It does not say. That everything's going to turn out. Okay. And, all right, for everybody.

What it says. Is that God uses things that happened. To shape and mold his children. and for those who love God, To those who are the called, according to his purpose. Listen, those, he foreknew were already predestined to be conformed. Are Sanctified to be made like Christ. You've already been called on to sanctification.

And so God will use anything that happens in your life. Be a joyful or sad being happenstance or tragic. Listen, God will use anything to accomplish. His purpose is to help make you more christ-like. I never work for good. For you for his plan for you. It's never Pleasant to go through sickness. It's never Pleasant to go through loss. It's never Pleasant to lose your freedom, your Mobility. It's never present Pleasant to receive that that terminal diagnosis.

The God can work.

Even. Through cancer.

One. Pastor once wrote a little tract called Don't Waste Your cancer.

It was about a time when you had cancer in his life and every time he was going to get chemo treatment he had the opportunity to sit in a chair for a couple hours next to some other soul and he had the chance to encourage and pray for them and witnessed any led many of them and nurses to Christ. During this time of cancer. No God healed and later of his cancer. God doesn't do that for everyone. But let's not fail to learn through the tragedies. God puts in our way.

That God is not a cruel. God, Not at all but God does work in the world and he works in the lives of his children and his glorious purpose for you. And for me as Believers is to make us more like his son Christ to make us more like Jesus into that. Good end dog pan and God does she was all things the good in the bad. To help shape us into what we are to be. But he's not cruel. The third thing is that Faith Lisa's this Faith believe that God always knows best and does best in his time, not in our timing but God always knows best and he does best in his time and when we try to impose our timetable on God, we get in trouble. An example of this, a man found a cocoon hanging on a shrub, a bush in his yard, he he was intrigued by the Cocoon and he decided to watch change. And every day several times he go out and watch this little cocoon. That seemed to be still and motionless for so many days. And then one day he saw a tiny butterfly inside that delicate covering Trying to merge. He watched it as a struggle, trying its best to break, free out of his captivity. And finally, The Man became frustrated and impatient and he went, and he took a razor blade from the house, and he just very gently sliced open the side of the Cocoon and the Butterfly emerged easily.

but, Because the butterfly didn't force itself through a small opening. Because the butterfly didn't force its bodily fluids to fill the wings. The butterfly, never flew and soon withered and died in hours.

Sometimes. We need the hardships. To set us free. To make us what God wants us to become. There are times of Trials when we want to short-circuit the maturing process.

We just want the shortcut to the end.

But God wants to prepare his maybe for a great new work. That lies ahead in our life like the butterfly. It's only through the struggles that we obtain strength. Here's the fourth thing. Faith believes Faith believes that God is in control and that we cannot rest easily. If we are that we can rest easily that, if we so choose another words, God is in control of things. So we can trust him. And what's going on? George Patrick said the same Sun that hardens the clay. Melts the wax.

What are we going to do? Let the sun Baker's, or let the sun shape has let a hard-nosed or let it melt us. When God can fix your heart and your spirit. And some great way, do you harden up against it? Is your heart soft and tender. Before the Lord. It's our choice really whether we let the inevitable suffering in The Misfortune of wife hard-nosed or sober us often. As I mean, We really have the choice to be hopeful or hopeless. So, many of God's people choose to be hopeless.

Betty or mentality.

He's my favorite. Winnie, the Pooh character. What was me and my tail fell off. It's going to be a long day.

But hey, the choice is ours.

You could be Tigger, if you'd rather.

Tigger's are wonderful, things, their heads are made out of rubber and their tails are made out of Springs. They're bouncy. Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, fun, fun, fun, fun fun.

My wife always said your Winnie the Pooh your stuff with love.

give me the fifth thing, Faith believes That when we cannot trace the hand of God, we must trust the heart of God. This is Pastor. Is else thought? What a great thought it is. When we cannot trace the hand of God at work, We can still trust the heart of God.

Habakkuk presented, this great affirmation of faith in Hebrews 319. When he said the Lord, God is my strength and he will make my feet like Hinds feet and he will make me feel

The deer, the hind that habakkuk is referencing is a mountain climbing deer, this known for his sure-footedness, its steadiness, even in the high rocks in the, in the unstable ground, the most treacherous of terrain, the deer just doesn't fall. It just doesn't fall.

Doesn't matter how treacherous the terrain he doesn't fall.

That's the Lord's Promise Jobs. He'll keep our feet as we travel through the treacherous path of life. He'll not give get his out of her trouble, but he's promised to get us through our troubles.

Habakkuk really had a lot of faith. In the face of tragedy.

I wonder, what does your faith believe? But finally, I want to closer this thought in the face of tragedy to whom is your faith directed. Listen, if you're trusting Humanity. Give up now.

if you're trusting yourself give up last week list, there's no hoping that

You're trusting how good you are to getting the gods Heaven. You're never going to make it.

To whom is your faith directed. In what are you trusting in whom? Are you trusting remember, half a back and take included in chapter 2. Verse for the just shall live by his face. Is Faith. Your faith has to be in God. Your faith has to be in God, through his son, Jesus Christ. Your faith has to be in the person of your savior. You must have faith in who Jesus Christ is, and what Jesus Christ is done. If you believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, Thou shalt be saved. But again, face doesn't only safe. Faith helps us to live. Faith helps us to serve. Sometimes, it's only faith that helps us to survive.

Maybe your life is so dark. You can't really see the face of God.

The darkness of the night, the fierceness of the storm, the frailness of your faith causes you to wonder if God's even there. I wonder if God even cares.

When Pastor has helped reaches message on this issue of Faith, he told about a young husband who lost his wife to cancer,

He was left alone in the world to raise their young daughter. The father and daughter's. First night alone in the big house was not an easy night.

The dinner table is desperately lonely. As bedtime came that evening and electrical storm broke the lines. Lines went down the House. Suddenly was without electricity. Dark still. Quiet empty.

And when the daddy took the little girl into bed, the room was shrouded in blackness.

Daddy are you there? Yeah, sweetheart. I'm here.

Daddy, I can't see you. Sweetheart, I'm here. I'm talking to you, aren't I? Daddy. I've never been this scared before.

Sweetheart, I'm here, trust me. Everything's going to be. Okay, I'll stay here with you while you fall asleep. And with that word of assurance, little girl, put her head on the pillow soon. Fell asleep. The dad then made the lonely, walk down the hall to his own bedroom. And the storm continue to blow and he'll against the house and it was so dark. You struggled to see is he felt his way along the walls. Made it to his room set on the bedside light lightning flashed across the sky. Lighting up the bedroom momentarily. In the darkness, straight the room. Again, like a Black Velvet.

And getting into bed. The young widow or stared up at the ceiling. His heart felt like the room dark. Empty. Stormy. And he turned his broken. Heart toward heaven and said,

Father, are you there?

Penny felt the Assurance of God. Yes. And I'm here. Father, I can't see you.

I said I'm here talkin to you, aren't I?

Father never been this scared before.

Sun, I'm here. Trust me. Everything's going to be okay. I'll stay here with you while you fall asleep.

Without insurance the dad. Put his head on the pillow and he fell asleep.

Listen, God is here for you too.

He'll never believe you have. Never forsake you He cares too much for you. even if the night is dark, even if the storm is Raging, God is here. And even when we can't trace the hand of God. He can trust the heart of God. The question is, will you trust? Will you trust him even if you don't understand, why will you trust him trust him? Because you know, that he knows why even if you wonder, how long will you trust him? Trust him? Because he knows the time and he knows the length of the suffering. Trust him. Without explanation without logic without reasoning. trust him, because

He is God. He is God.

Stand together with me.

Our Father in heaven.

We like that. Dad are often scared and in the dark. Not knowing why or how long?

And yet, God, we must trust you because you are God.

Father, I pray. That be the tragedy. On a national scope.

Barbie it a secret and private trial. There's someone feels like their enduring all alone.

Even in the midst of Darkness. You are still God. You are not cruel. You are in control. You will work through the circumstance.

And father, we have to learn to trust your heart.

God would you have your will and way in our invitation right now? And God would you direct our hearts to your heart? Direct our faces to your face. Direct our trust. To your truths.

And father. Minister to the need of each person here. And now we pray. In Jesus name, amen.