Let that soak in for a minute...twenty six thousand, five hundred and seventy five children died yesterday, today, and will die tomorrow. That's equivalent to one hundred jetliners crashing every single day! At that rate almost ten million children will die in the course of one year.
I remember the day I read this gut-wrenching statistic in Richard Stern's book, "The Hole in Our Gospel". At first I thought it must have been a typo. That number seemed impossible...but in fact it's a painful reality in the world we live in.
As I pondered and cried, I resisted the temptation to ask "why?". Then it dawned on me that God knew my thoughts - even if I didn't verbalize them - so why not be totally honest and ask Him...
"God, why would you allow so many children to die every single day?"
"God, I know you care for them. This makes no sense to me."
"God, why won't you allow manna and quail to fall from the sky or fresh clean water to burst out of rocks like you did for the Israelites when they lived in the desert?"
" God, you can fix this problem so why don't you?"
I know these are really harsh questions to ask an Almighty God and I wish I could say He gave me some specific answers. I've come to realize that God chooses to keep some things hidden from us. After all, what kind of God would He be if we knew all His business? Why would need faith?
What is the truth in this situation:
God is all sovereign. He is all powerful, all knowing, and ever present. Nothing has or ever will happen outside of His plan. He sees everything and nothing escapes His reach. He is a loving God and each one of these children belong to Him.
What is the real challenge we face:
We live in a broken world with broken people. We face an enemy every day who's mission is to kill, steal, and destroy God's children. Our world is full of greed, jealously, and corruption. Our broken world is a result of original sin.
What do we need to focus on:
Our limitations in contrast to God's unlimited power and control of all the world's events. God is alive and in complete control of world hunger, poverty, disease and even death. We can't see all that God is doing and we can't see all that He will do. But we can be assured that He is God and will do what is right. Knowing this can give us confidence and hope in a very confusing world.
So what can I do?
I can pray for these children and their families. I can let others know what I've learned through Richard Stearn's book about world poverty. I can do my part by asking God how He wants me to help others locally, nationally, and globally. I can trust in my loving Jesus and rest in knowing that He has everything under control - even if it doesn't make sense to me.
" Twenty six thousand, five hundred and seventy five children die every day of largely preventable causes related to their poverty." Richard Stearn, The Hole in Our Gospel
Now that you know this statistic...what are you going to do?
