Where Was The Mercy For The 3,000?

A few days ago, I wrote a blog post about God and 9/11.  Most of the responses were positive, but I got one which was not.  “Where was God’s mercy for the 3,000?” She asked me.  She went on to state that terrible things happen which can not be explained away, things which show a heartless and ruthless side to God with which she struggles.  How can anyone rely on the love of God when He allowed the 3,000 to perish?

I was waiting for someone to ask that, and I’m so glad she did.

Death and destruction seem unfair.  They seem to be proof of the absence of the presence of God.  I would agree with this if death were the end.

It is tempting to see death as the end of the story.  Rare is the person who dies and then comes back to life to continue their tale.  I can think of two.  Loved ones die.  We bury them in the cold, hard ground, then we walk away and our lives continue without them.  It’s easy to believe and feel as if they are gone forever.  Disappeared.  It is human nature to rail against the unfairness of the end of them, these people we loved.

As I prayed for a response this week, my thoughts turned stubbornly to the image of the Good Shepherd.  In the story, there were 100 lambs.  99 were safe, but one had gotten lost.  The Shepherd left the 99 in safety to go and find the one.  When He did, He gathered the lost lamb into his arms and carried it safely home.

Where was the mercy for the 3,000?  He gathered the lost into His arms and carried them safely home.

Death is not the end of the story.  It is merely a resting place along the way.