If Your Home or Church Was Spared from the Fires, Please Do Not Thank God

And what about those who lost their houses?

Here’s a quote from a church in Pacific Palisades:

“Meanwhile, one Palisades church says it is bearing "witness to the goodness of God" in the midst of the chaos, thanking Him that most of their house of worship escaped the deadly fire. “

Here’s the conundrum. If God saved your house or church, what does that say about the poor souls whose houses and churches did burn down? Did God decide that your home or church should survive while also deciding to let the others burn? I don’t think so. But that puts you in a position of claiming that yours was the one that God chose to save and for reasons known only to Him, God decided to let the others succumb.

Is that what you really want to say? I hope not.

Better for us all to believe that God does not interfere in man’s day-to-day decisions, that He created us, gave us free will, and chose early on not to intercede in man’s daily life. Only humans are bestowed with free will.

Animals act by instinct; they do not choose freely. But with free will comes an obligation to make the right choices, choices on which man will be judged by the Creator, so many believe. God’s choice of non-interference in human activity precludes Him from deciding who lives or dies in every life or death situation.

So, as tempting as it might be, before you thank God for your good fortune should you find yourself a survivor of a fire or spared from severe sickness, please think about all those whose houses burned, because by thanking God for helping you, you are also thanking Him for letting the others lose their homes instead.

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