“A two-year drought, coming on top of widespread poverty, production disruptions and depleted food reserves, has plunged Southern Africa into its most serious food emergency in at least a decade. Nearly 16 million people in seven countries are at risk of starvation by the end of this year. Unless urgent measures are taken soon, cautions the World Health Organization, as many as 50,000 lives a month could be lost to malnutrition and disease” (Fleshman, 2002).
We live in a world where starvation and hunger are critical issues all over the developed and undeveloped parts of the globe, though primarily in the latter. The statistics are heartbreaking:
• 923 million people across the world are hungry and dying (Briefing Paper Hunger on the Rise, 2008).
• Every five seconds a child dies from hunger-related causes equaling around 16,000 children per day (Black, Morris, & Bryce, 2003).
• In 2005, almost 1.4 billion people lived below the international poverty line, earning less than $1.25 per day (Global Purchasing Power, 2008).
These are all God’s children suffering and dying because of lack of food, which manifests itself in chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies. These deficiencies cause stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness, and ultimately, death (Are we on track to end hunger?, 2004).
These facts and the idea that many of God’s children are suffering in ways that lead to horrendous and uncomfortable deaths does beg the question: why is God not supplying them with the nourishment they need?
You may be forming a response to that question in your mind right now. It probably sounds similar to these: God uses his Body around the world to care for the poor and needy- we are God’s hands and feet- "Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?" (James 2:15-16) Or, another may be they are being punished for their sins (though this would be a difficult pill for me to swallow).
I do believe we are called to aggressively care for our brothers and sisters around the world, and I also understand that many of us are actively pursuing these ends through whatever means we have available, but the question still looms overhead: why is God not supplying them with the nourishment they need?
During the Exodus, God is quoted saying to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people with gather enough for the day” (16:4), “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites... At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God. (16:12)” God goes on to provide Manna and Quail for those with Moses. Moses, during what seems like a difficult conversation with his followers says, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him” (16:8).
I will draw the conclusion, then, that the Israelites grumbled, moaned, and cried out to God for nourishment- food, sustenance. They prayed according to his will and he heard them, and if they knew that he heard them, they knew they would have what they asked for (1 John 5:14), and they did. God’s response was providing them with Manna and Quail for six days straight! The only stipulation was that the people must gather what they can eat in one day and not an ounce more.
Due to the Israelites greed, they did, in fact, gather more than their daily needs. What they didn’t eat was kept in secret until the next day, but when they returned to their hidden treasure it was covered with maggots and was uneatable- whoops.
We see another example with Jesus in the Gospel. After Jesus withdrew by boat to spend time alone, he arrived at shore where large crowds of followers were waiting. The dialogue between Jesus and his disciples went like this:
“As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.’
Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’
‘We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,’ they answered.
Bring them here to me,’ he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children” (Matthew 14:15-21).
Two great examples of how God can provide food for his people.
Seeing the hand of God work so intimately with the Israelites and the followers of Jesus shows his care and ability for his children across the board from the Old Testament to the New. His word claims dozens of times throughout how much he cares for his people. Making it clear that I can and never will understand the mind of God and knowing that he works intermittently, almost arbitrarily, and in strange ways that I can’t comprehend, I voice that I am struggling with the idea that he has provided nourishment for his people during the Exodus and in the Gospel but doesn’t -at least in any apparent and dramatic way- provide food or his people now.
The argument against this can’t be that this happened in the Old Testament/ covenant and when the New Testament/ covenant was created his desire and/or ability to noticeably distribute food dissolved. I can’t wrap my heard around the idea that the New Testament, filled with Jesus' love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness -especially towards the poor and needy- blocks God’s hand from raining down Manna and Quail for those in countries where kids are dying in the tens of thousands per day.
I don’t think that the free-will argument works here. I suppose we could claim that the dictators, leaders, and government in many of these undeveloped countries made the free will decision to hoard all supplies provided by others, like the U.S., to their particular area for themselves, thus removing any possibility of their people having their basic food and water needs met. I can understand that ones free will to do what’s best for themselves effects the surrounding community. I even understand that, fundamentally, whoever is in charge of many of these governments are not working with their eyes set on Jesus, or any ethical value system in place whatsoever.
I don’t think that the good-things-come-out-of-bad-circumstances argument works here either. What’s that look like: God had to allow these 50,000 people in Africa to die of dysentery or malnutrition because we Americans needed some cause to serve as followers of Christ? I don’t know if that sits well with me. I understand that from bad events can come great, amazing, God inspired things, but that doesn’t answer the very real question posed. It’s not about looking at the positive that comes from the negative; it’s about asking why God IS NOT providing - as the examples are set in Scripture - for his loving children who are in need.
Finally, the big-picture argument doesn’t cut it. I do believe God is in complete control of what is going on here on earth. I would argue that God does have the “big picture” of what has, is, and will be in his sight. I guess I would liken it to a large jig-saw puzzle. God created the puzzle so he knows when it’s fully constructed what it looks like. Unfortunately, we’ve all lost the box the puzzle came in so we’re just seeing one piece at a time. When we meet God, we too will see the big picture. But, I think it’s an easy out to say the issue at hand will be explained when we see the big picture (understand that I do realize it will click when we have this clarity but it’s a cop-out).
As Western Americans who have been born into mostly lower middle class up to high-class households we find it easy to say that this issue will be understood as the big picture is presented to us in Heaven. But if we were living in parts of the world where 16,000 of us were dying every day I would dare to say we wouldn’t simply accept this as fact. We would be asking some really difficult questions of our Creator. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of the Father. And even the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29). What does that mean for hundreds of thousands of dying children across the globe- are they not worth more than a penny?
Any of these arguments could be used but I would conclude they are a cop-out to the answer of why God has not responded to his people in desperate need.
If my god is ignoring thousands upon thousands of people grumbling, moaning, and crying out to him for food, water, life... begging for nourishment so they may live for him and his glory...laying, dying on a dusty floor, covered in flies, energy-less, hopeless as their internal workings- their organs- eat themselves in an attempt to survive a day longer... I don’t know if I want follow for that god. I don’t know exactly how to find peace in this; there has to be some explanation. Should I simply close my eyes and pretend this question isn’t right in front of me? Obviously I should be a part of the effort to help, but does that remove the wonder?
I will continue to look for answers and hope along the way I may find a glimpse into the why of what is happening around the globe. I have reservations with a defense against such a horrendous and clear disregard for the needs of God’s people. I might simply have to concede that there are no answers to why God ignores the physical needs of his children. Being a man that wants to know how things work, it is very difficult for me to be without an answer. Overall, I must remember that my finite mind can’t understand an infinite God, but is that enough?
Sources Cited:
Are We On Track To End Hunger? Hunger Report 2004. Bread for the World Institute. 2004.
Briefing Paper Hunger on the Rise: Soaring Prices Add 75 Million People to Global Hunger Rolls. Food and Agriculture Organization. 17 September 2008.
Global Purchasing Power Parities and Real Expenditures. The World Bank. 2005 International Comparison Program. August 2008.
Black, Robert, Morris, Saul, & Jennifer Bryce. Where and Why Are 10 Million Children Dying Every Year? The Lancet 361:2226-2234. 2003.
Millions threatened with starvation. Africa Recovery, Vol. 16 #2-3. September 2002.
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