dirt yachting

Suffering is hard to understand when we claim that there is a loving, merciful God residing over us. 
"How could thus-and-such happen?" 

Waters kill innocent thousands
Disease wastes away children
Drunks walk away while while wives are buried.

The world-view of the Bible says that horrific acts are allowed effects, not desired effects. 

Suffering is the result of humankind's desire to replace love with pride;

"..for when you eat of it you will be like God.."

Genesis 3:5

The arrogance led to the destruction of  relationships...

between people and God

     between people and people

          and between people and the earth

So we kill each other, our land that once watered itself is slowing wasting, the sun will burn out, the earth breaks, babies die, old people die...

Now if the earth (think floods) brings harm, we can pray
If others bring harm (think abuse) we can jail and pray
If we bring harm, we can repent and seek forgiveness and pray

"Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,

    because the Lord has a charge to bring

    against you who live in the land:

“There is no faithfulness, no love,

    no acknowledgment of God in the land.

² There is only cursing,^[a] lying and murder,

    stealing and adultery;

they break all bounds,

    and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

³ Because of this the land dries up,

    and all who live in it waste away;

the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky

    and the fish in the sea are swept away.

Hosea 4:1-3

We can't jump on the wagon and yell "our nations  sin is causing this to happen!" because, well we don't know. Sure a nation can become so self-absorbed (read prideful) that God has and does at times use what he has at his disposal to let us look at what we are doing and stop in much the same way self-destructive abuse brings sickness that forces us to stop lest we die. 

But we must not say "since we don't know" we are not going to seek God's face for healing No, this is not the old-school "god is messing with us" like the Greeks and Pagans thought because we know that Yahweh desires us to turn to him and live. He does not take delight in any death or pain. We know this because he himself bore our death. 

So are we stuck in a game? No. 

God desires to heal our land, our lives with each other and our relationship to him... but it needs to be in the reverse order. 

I would lay good odds that those who find this most offensive are the ones who are most stubborn to try it out.We are yachting in the dirt when we live on our own will and pride. What a shame when the Waters of Life are staring us in the face saying jump on in.