Or Maybe It's Like This

Or maybe it’s like this…

God made the world

      But the world is  
      Ruled by darkness and
      God does not intervene
      In the circumstances
      Of the world

What will happen

      Will happen
      Good
      Bad
      Or otherwise

At the end of time

      God will return
      And restore
      All that has
      Gone wrong

He is with us now
      But He works

      Either directly

      From God to person
      Giving guidance
      And next steps
     
      Or indirectly
      From person to person
      Moving people who hear His voice
      To help the world
 
      But He doesn’t work
      From God to circumstance
      From God to disease
      From God to weather pattern
    
      Only from God to person
      Only through people
      And only if they hear Him

He does not
      Heal to increase our faith
      Curse to punish our errors
      Or swing open the door to
      Tsunamis
      Breakdowns
      And murder rampages
      So we could have a  
      Teachable moment

      These are things

      That would happen
      No matter what

He does not
       Protect
       He accompanies
       And He accompanies
       Sometimes directly
       But mostly through people
       So if people don’t listen
       Or respond to what He says
       Or hear Him through the pain
       What a shame

So if it is like this

How do I pray

For safety, healing, rescue - no
For grace, wisdom, endurance - yes

But then again

Maybe it’s nothing like this

I really don’t know
How it is
I just know
It’s not simple

It’s only simple

Until something terrible happens
Then nothing
Is ever simple
Again