Driving on the highway, a man slides on ice, sending his S.U.V. across the highway into oncoming traffic. A young family in their mini van is driving home from the mall. They just took photos of their one year old at the portrait studio. In an instant, at 70 miles per hour, their small van slams into the side of the large S.U.V. that skidded into their lane. The impact is the equivalent of striking a brick wall without even tapping the brakes. In an moment, half of a family is gone. The father and six year old in the van are killed. The young mother clings to life. Only the infant son, that is strapped in his car seat behind his mother, escapes harm. Where was God? Why didn’t he stop this?
If God is good, did he not have enough power to stop this? If God could have stopped this, and he didn’t, how can we call him good? Was God too busy attending to another detail of our complex planet that he forgot to keep his eye on that icy road? Maybe God didn’t lose control. Maybe he never had control. Did God build our planet and walk away leaving us to fend for ourselves? Where is God in times like this? Do we have hope for the future?
The book of Daniel answers these questions. It gives us a mind-expanding glimpse into the power, purposes and wisdom of God in the face of tragedy. On days when life feels hopeless because our heart is soaked in despair, the book of Daniel is what we need.
