Question for believers: How does God set priorities?

sir82

While waiting for the bus yesterday, I overheard (wasn't trying - but due to his volume, impossible to avoid) a guy on his cell phone talking to someone about his likely imminent dismissal from his employment.

But he then went on to say that he had full confidence that God would take care of him, and he wasn't worried at all about finding new employment.

Then I got home, watched the news, and found out that 4 million Kenyans are in danger of starving to death because of a year-long drought there.

So I got to thinking - how exactly does God set priorities?

The guy at the bus stop is not the first Christian I've heard express his confidence that God chooses to intervene and help in the lives of individual believers. He saves them from car wrecks, he helps them find jobs, he lends some sort of invisible emotional support to help them cope with the death of a child, and so on.

On the other hand, millions of people suffer excruciating pain for months or years before finally dying covered in mud with flies crawling on them - no relief from God in sight.

Why does God help one middle-aged guy who's never been hungry in his life find a new job in time so that he doesn't miss his $3000 mortgage payment, but not send a little rain to help a land where millions of people are already living in misery and filth?

If he's going to intervene in human affairs, why do so much in already-wealthy countries, and ignore the 3rd world?

Honestly, I'm not trying to be snarky - I'm genuinely interested in how true-blue believers reconcile this apparent paradox.

Chalam

It is interesting, I was watching some stuff on the "sovereignty of God" yesterday.

His thinking was that the "God controls everything" belief is false. They cited that World Wars and mass starvation cannot be from a loving God.

They also spoke about how "God's sovereignty" thinking influences Christian belief. He spoke of believers who thought God had brought cancer for example.

He said why would those people go to a doctor or a hospital? That would be going against the will of God!

Obviously we are largely responsible for what happens on the face of the earth. What are we going about it?

I heard that the 7 richest people could solve world starvation with their combined wealth if they chose to.

What are we doing about injustice personally? Everyone is quick to blame God but we got the world into this mess.

I do not believe we can fix the mess by ourselves, we need to call on God. God is waiting for us, He is not a dictator.

All the best,
Stephen

sir82

Chalam,

So if I understand correctly, your take is that God doesn't intervene in human affairs at all? At least, not at present?

snowbird

So I got to thinking - how exactly does God set priorities?

I don't know.

Why does God help one middle-aged guy who's never been hungry in his life find a new job in time so that he doesn't miss his $3000 mortgage payment, but not send a little rain to help a land where millions of people are already living in misery and filth?

I don't know.

If he's going to intervene in human affairs, why do so much in already-wealthy countries, and ignore the 3rd world?

I don't know.

Still, I believe.

Sylvia

Deputy Dog

Chalam

His thinking was that the "God controls everything" belief is false. They cited that World Wars and mass starvation cannot be from a loving God.

This is a flat out denial of:

Isa 45:7

The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.

Chalam

No, I believe He does! He doesn't force His help on us, we need to ask.

Believers ask their Heavenly Father all day long, even for small things.

He doesn't say "yes" to everything or somethings the answer is "not now" or "have you thought about...".

Unbelievers only start to ask quite often when death is concerned, their own or loved ones.

As a friend of mine who went to Afghanistan "there are no atheists in foxholes".

My advice is the same as Stevie Wonder's

Stevie Wonder - Have A Talk With God

There are people who have let the problems of today
Lead them to conclude that for them life is not the way
But every problem has an answer and if yours you cannot find
You should talk it over to Him
He'll give you peace of mind
When you feel your life's too hard
Just go have a talk with God

Many of us feel we walk alone without a friend
Never communicating with the One who lives within
Forgetting all about the One who never ever lets you down
And you can talk to him anytime He's always around
When you feel your life's too hard
Just go have a talk with God

Well He's the only free psychiatrist that's known throughout the world
For solving problems of all men, women, little boys and girls
When you feel your life's too hard
Just go have a talk with God
When you feel your life's too hard
Just go have a talk with God
When your load's too much to bear
Just go talk to God He cares
I know he does

When you feel your life's too hard
Just go have a talk with God
thank you
thank you very much

All the best,

Stephen

snowbird

What I find intriguing is that, at one time, those so-called Third World countries were sitting in the catbird seat.

A cyclical rise and fall along a linear progression seems to be the lot of us humans.

Sylvia

Gladring

"there are no atheists in foxholes"

A nice soundbite, but not true.

donny

Stop asking logical questions!!!

Seriously, these are the questions I was asking after I woke up and realized the Witnesses were not the channel to God as they claimed. Actually, I respect believers who just admit that they have no idea as to why these things happen the way they do instead of trying to come up with answers that are just speculation and not based on anything solid.

Donny

sir82

No, I believe He does! He doesn't force His help on us, we need to ask.

So the problem is, those 4 million Kenyans aren't asking?

I'm not sure of the exact numbers, but given Kenya's colonial background, I'm sure at least some of those 4 million people are Christian.

Are you saying that they aren't asking God, and for that reason, he doesn't help them? Or maybe they aren't asking hard enough, or not asking the right way?

Another (remote) possibility is that none of them are Christian. In which case it hardly seems fair - if they're not Christian, they don't know that they're supposed to ask for help!

If that's the case, then the 70%+ of the world who isn't Christian is up $#!+ creek without a paddle, aren't they? If God only intervenes when people ask him to?

Question for believers: How does God set priorities?

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