I heard this question asked and answered on the radio recently following the World Trade Centre tragedy. If God is all powerful and all loving where was He when this awful thing happened to so many innocent people?

The answers I heard were not new as the same question has been asked millions of times, literally, after many similar tragedies. Any death, especially an untimely one is a tragedy for someone. People are frequently asking where was God in this situation or that where we lost our loved one?

The implication is that God, being all powerful and ultimately just and loving should intervene on our behalf and prevent the tragic event.

What we have failed to understand is that there is a prior question that needs to be asked, "When should God begin to intervene?"

For example should He intervene when a murderer is poised over his victim with the knife raised? Or should He intervene when this individual is purchasing the knife? Further should God intervene when this man as a young boy is about to take his first drink or his first shot of heroin?

Should God begin even earlier and cause this person to be stillborn? When should God intervene?

The Bible says in Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

If sin, by definition, is any transgression of God’s known will then the above statement is easily believed, we have all done or said or thought things which are against God’s known will. Should have God intervened then when we began to ignore His will?

If God intervened in the ways outlined above all of us would have been removed in judgment before we attained adulthood. And if that were the situation I believe the outcry against God’s intervention would be far greater than the outcry against His non intervention now.

God is demonstrating his love toward us by allowing us to choose to receive his love --- or not. When we choose to go in the direction of self gratification death eventually comes. The Bible states it this way in Proverbs 14:12 ¶ There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [are] the ways of death.

As far back as Adam and Eve men began to choose the way of death - we might blame Adam for that but we can’t blame God for our choices. However God IS loving and because He is he sent His own sinless Son to experience death for us. By dying the death of a malefactor nailed to a stake Roman-fashion, He bore the sins of the whole world.

Now God faces us with an ultimate choice. Choose our own way which leads to death, or yield our lives to Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord and receive everlasting life right now.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

This pamphlet does not answer the whole question. Nor does it give the whole story of God’s love and how to discover it to ourselves. If it has made you think that there may be answers to this and many other questions concerning life and death we would like to try to help you.