“Access . . . Denied” - Deuteronomy 29:29

 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” - Deuteronomy 29:29

    The Holocaust, 9-1-1, war, famine, pestilence, disease . . . death - why does an almighty and loving God allow such tragedies? We hear accusations of unfairness leveled at the Creator of the universe. Is He unfair? Is He unjust? What is fair? What is justice? We want justice? Believe me; justice is not what we want. Justice places us all squarely in the jaws of hell for all eternity. Why? “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one . . .’” - Romans 3:10. No, justice isn’t what we want. We want “grace,” undeserved and unmerited grace because without grace we would all be given the harsh and hellish justice we deserve!
    So beyond erroneous notions of justice we wonder why God sometimes allows the worst possible outcomes to some of the most unexpected situations involving people who, for the most part are relatively benign. From unexpected childhood diseases to natural catastrophes to local, national, and global disasters the nagging question remains - why? I can’t tell you why because I don’t know why, but I can tell you this: there is no access code to God’s hidden will. There is no password that will allow us to see inside the mind and heart of God. The error message continues to flash: “Access . . . Denied!”
    Certainly, sometimes what takes place in our world is a judgment from God; sometimes it is not. The fact is: we just don’t know and no matter how hard we search for an answer or accountability - there is none. Access . . . Denied!   
      “ . . . then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.” - Ecclesiastes 8:17
    Our title verse explicitly tells us that God’s hidden will remains hidden, but we are not without certain knowledge of God’s revealed will. It has been given to us through His holy scripture. Perhaps our time would be better spent immersing ourselves in His revealed will rather than stumbling along, attempting to decipher His sovereign or decretive will.
    “But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?” - Romans 9:20-21.
    Let us all pray for the wisdom to understand that we cannot presume to know the mind of God nor the reasons for His will. Let us instead learn to accept it.