God's Permissive Will

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lakotak

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I have to admit that there are certain stories in the news that really tug at my heart and I have to really wonder about God’s love and permissive will. The story I am talking about is about the little boy that was killed by the dogs from Africa at the zoo.

standard.net/stories/2012/11/06/zoo-where-boy-mauled-wild-dogs-reopens

I guess I can accept some of the terrible ways that adults die, but I have a really hard time accepting the concept of God’s Love and his permissive will or direct will in cases like this involving children.

If other believers here have felt this way, how did or do you handle it? Some stories I read really affect me deeply in trying to keep in mind that God loves children and allows this terrible thing to happen. I am just having rough time with this. Any of your insights as to how you handle this would be helpful.
 
I see it as a way to show that we won’t be on this Earth forever and that death could come at any time on any day. Therefore, we should always be prepared for when that day comes. So we need to consistently repent of our sins and return to the Graces of God. They are horrible tragedies, for sure, but God’s light shines through the darkness and we can remember the good.
 
lakotak said:
I have to admit that there are certain stories in the news that really tug at my heart and I have to really wonder about God’s love and permissive will. The story I am talking about is about the little boy that was killed by the dogs from Africa at the zoo.

standard.net/stories/2012/11/06/zoo-where-boy-mauled-wild-dogs-reopens

I guess I can accept some of the terrible ways that adults die, but I have a really hard time accepting the concept of God’s Love and his permissive will or direct will in cases like this involving children.

If other believers here have felt this way, how did or do you handle it? Some stories I read really affect me deeply in trying to keep in mind that God loves children and allows this terrible thing to happen. I am just having rough time with this. Any of your insights as to how you handle this would be helpful.
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I am the father of a six-year-old and when I saw this story I held back tears. Our temptation (and I mean temptation as in temptation to sin) is to blame God. If we accept that God created us with Free Will, then we must accept that God allows all of us to exercise our Free Will, and to have the Free Will of others exercised upon us.

I would not want to be that mother. Obviously she was thinking of giving her child a really good view of the “doggies.” She made a fatal mistake in judgement. The death of her child is all on her. I feel as much anger towards her as I do pity. She will never, *never *be the same. Because she knows her beloved 2 year old died by *her *negligence, not God’s.

I have tremors of fear shoot through me when my son attempts to jump between the love seat and the couch. Tremors. My son must think I’m a nervous wreck. Sometimes he gets mad at me “Dad I’ll be okay!” I just cannot fathom what possessed her to put her child up there. I take my son to the zoo, but I even have trouble letting him look at the dolphins through glass for fear that the glass might shatter. Pray for this woman. Don’t blame God.
 
In dealing in things like this you have to start with what you know is true:
  1. God is good, loving, just, all-powerful, all-knowing.
  2. God cannot be charged with evil.
  3. We DON"T know or see everything. We see very little.
    3 There was a certain unfathomable and incredible death of suffering on the cross by the Son of God in which He reconciled the world to Himself. It is good to dwell on that, and take comfort that He understands both the sorrowing mother and your own sorrow and grief, even as you work through it. We have a Lord Who has suffered, not one who does not care. You might want to spend some time reflecting on that.
 
lakotak said:
I have to admit that there are certain stories in the news that really tug at my heart and I have to really wonder about God’s love and permissive will. The story I am talking about is about the little boy that was killed by the dogs from Africa at the zoo.

standard.net/stories/2012/11/06/zoo-where-boy-mauled-wild-dogs-reopens

I guess I can accept some of the terrible ways that adults die, but I have a really hard time accepting the concept of God’s Love and his permissive will or direct will in cases like this involving children.

If other believers here have felt this way, how did or do you handle it? Some stories I read really affect me deeply in trying to keep in mind that God loves children and allows this terrible thing to happen. I am just having rough time with this. Any of your insights as to how you handle this would be helpful.
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I saw the story too. It was sad and I cannot fathom what the mother is going through. But to the question, I have to believe that freedom is the issue here. God allows us to do things the way we want to and does not “make” us do what is right. Therefore, we can be ignorant of many things and do things wrong by our free will. It is also about love. God does not make us love him as we have a choice in that. So we choose the wrong things and don’t see all the wrong outcomes of our actions because we don’t have the insight of God. We can pray for his grace and ask for wisdom as Solomon did and hope that is a gift that is to be used for all of us.
mdcpensive1
 
lakotak said:
Some stories I read really affect me deeply
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Me, too, esp. when they involve children. It’s worse now that I have little ones of my own.

I grew up in Pgh. Not that it has much to do with it, but I’ve been to the spot where it happened.

I don’t know. I just try not to think about things like this too much. I have problems with intrusive thoughts/anxiety, so if I get a sense there’s a tragic story in the news, I try really hard to ignore it. 😦

I just can’t believe no one jumped in to do ANYTHING, aside from the zoo keepers. I’d like to think I would have jumped in.
 
on_the_hill said:
I just can’t believe no one jumped in to do ANYTHING, aside from the zoo keepers. I’d like to think I would have jumped in.
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The story said that the dogs pounced immediately. And if you’ve ever seen how a pack of wild dogs tear apart their prey on nature television shows, you know that toddler died immediately. The shock of seeing that…it kills me. I can’t think about it.
 
Nom_the_Wise said:
The story said that the dogs pounced immediately. And if you’ve ever seen how a pack of wild dogs tear apart their prey on nature television shows, you know that toddler died immediately. The shock of seeing that…it kills me. I can’t think about it.
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I cannot help but wonder what God thought as he watched this happen and still gave his permission to allow it.
 
lakotak said:
I cannot help but wonder what God thought as he watched this happen and still gave his permission to allow it.
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Probably the same thing God thought when he watched us crucify his son.
 
Nom_the_Wise said:
Probably the same thing God thought when he watched us crucify his son.
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This is a good point. However, I cannot help but think and wonder, be amazed at the fact that humans, with all of our imperfect love and under normal circumstances would not allow, if it were in our power to prevent, so many of the terrible ways that people die. Yet, God is said to have perfect love. If this is true where is the desire, that we lowly humans have to ease or prevent these horrific things in our family or friends, in a perfect loving God. I hate the fact that I cannot help but look at the fact that his concept of love is pain and suffering only. I have no problem with the fact that we were appointed to die once, but the manner in which this comes about for so many really bothers me.

I can go as far as saying that when adults die in such horrible way, that may be it was his way of saving that person for all his/her sins, like the guy that was cooked to death in the oven in the tuna plant. Yet, I cannot feel the same way when a small child is taken in such a terrible painful way.

I know that my way of thinking is off the mark, but at least I am honest in expressing it. This issue has bothered me for many years and will probably continue to, at least off and on.There probably is no answer, but that does not mean there is no question. Perhaps, you or others could point me to some good resources that address this issue. I truly wish that I did not fee this way, but it is what it is right now.
 
Nom_the_Wise said:
Probably the same thing God thought when he watched us crucify his son.
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I don’t think the two have much to do with one another.

In one, God’s son was crucified because of…a whole lot of reasons that I have neither the inclination nor wherewithal to address.

In the other, a two year old boy died as a consequence of a ridiculously rtragic accident.
 
Nom_the_Wise said:
Our temptation (and I mean temptation as in temptation to sin) is to blame God. If we accept that God created us with Free Will, then we must accept that God allows all of us to exercise our Free Will, and to have the Free Will of others exercised upon us. …]

Pray for this woman. Don’t blame God.
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