No good answer

I have a sister living in South Africa for 6 months. While there she is experiencing poverty on a global disaster scale. This is causing her to genuinely question why God allows the suffering of His children and the world in general, especially based on Matthew 6:25-34. Good question, here was my response.

"Kristin,
I guess since I am the Pastor in the family, I should be the one to field this question. In a nut shell...I don't know. I don't know why God allows some nations to suffer and others to prosper, at least monetarily speaking. But, I think the real indictment lies not with God, but with man, Christians in particular.

As you read Matthew 6:25-34, make sure you also read 1-24. Those verses establish the context for 25-34. If you notice, 25 starts with the word "therefore" which means the argument is based on the verses preceding. In summary - We should give to the needy for the needy's sake, not to proclaim how great we are (1-4) - We should pray not in pride, but in humility, knowing it is God who hears us and that is what really matters (5-15) - Fasting should be private, not public...again no pride (16-18) - and finally we should value the wealth of heaven over the wealth of earth (19-24). Therefore, based on these things just said, God provides for the world, the way He provides for the animals. (25-34)

I would say the primary way He does that is through the generous, humble giving of people who pray, fast and value the Kingdom of Heaven over the Kingdom of this world as evidenced by their sacrificial lifestlye (read 1-24 again). The indictment is not against God, who gave His most important commodity (Jesus), but rather us (Christians) who will not sacrifice a night at the movies, or buying that 4th study Bible so that a South African might eat. 1-24 need to be obeyed and taken seriously, not metaphorically, to make 25-34 a reality.

Now could God supernaturally provide? Of course! Like with Elijah and the ravens. But that is not how He typically works. For some reason (another question with no good answer) He has bound himself, to a certain degree, to humanity. Ours is the responsibility to share the Good News. Ours is the responsibility to clothe the poor, feed the hungry, bind up the sick, cast out the demon. Can God do it without us? Yes. Absolutely. Will He? Not usually. Does that make Him less loving? No. It makes US less loving. He has given this world all it needs: trees for food, animals for clothing, intelligence for multiplying all of it. WE abuse it, fill it with pride, and hoard it. The fault is ours.

I think the passage has a tinge of eschatological flavor to it as well. What Jesus says is sometimes true NOW in this world. My friend Ron has 4 kids under 8 and has been laid off 6 times this last year. God has provided in amazing ways for his family, primarily through sacrificial, generous Christians. This passage is sometimes true, NOW. But there is coming a day when it will ALWAYS be true. 100% of the time.When He returns. Until that day, WE have a responsibility to bring the Kingdom of God to bear on the kingdom of this world. Now. We do. Us. God does His part, we fail in doing ours.

That's all I have to say about that..."