How Can I “Be Satisfied”?

TUES., NOV. 4, 1997, 6:47 AM
FARM, STUDY

I have told you repeatedly, o son, that I, Holy Spirit am satisfied with this earth scene of animate life… and, often, I am quite pleased with what I see. But how can I make such approving statements when the “news” is so full of killings, destruction, and “rumors of war”. The millenium approaches. Am I not making plans to “clean up” this earth… or abandon it completely?

The short book of Habakkuk, that you and your group will talk about tomorrow, tells of My using the Chaldeans to bring destruction upon My chosen people, the Jews, with the promise that these evil Chaldeans will finally suffer for what I have them do. Are spiritual lessons still to be learned in such violent ways?

My basic response is a familiar, oft-repeated one. I am the Mighty, Omniscient Power in this earth, and all that happens is what I cause or allow. At this point in time how can I be “bad mouthed” for a relatively few deaths and a few incidents of destruction? I love you humans, but I see you, even in your goodness, slowly (and not so slowly) destroying other forms of life in order that you “might live better”.

A good deal of the violence comes because of poor parenting… of children not really wanted or when parents… or parent… are just not prepared for this major responsibility. It hurts Me to see children who are almost “destined” for a life of crime, destruction, and incarceration. But then I say that I also observe much more good to excellent parenting, when children are wanted, loved, and brought up to be happy, productive, caring adults. Such is not often in the news of the day, but I see it, and it is more than a balance to these less desirable actions and states of being.

Everything that I have done, as reported in Holy Scripture, I can do again. I can use apparent evil for My corrective purposes, and I see quite a lot of spiritual growth coming from happenings that seem destructive… even evil. Do I, then, use undesirable means to achieve desirable ends? This is not My normative Style, but I can act in such ways, for ends that I see as desirable.

My dilemma (if I, the Triune God can admit to a dilemma) is how to diminish the destruction that comes from modern humans (many of whom revere and want to serve Me) in their desires to live “better” lives… in an earth whose productiveness cannot expand to meet the needs of a growing population. “Living better” is costly, in ways that I do not like. Though I like to be loved and admired for the “good” that I do or allow to happen, I also still find it good to “test” humans with tragedies of various kinds.

This means that I love to see “modern Habakkuks” who, despite all that happens to them physically, economically, socially, politically, they still trust Me and continue to have faith in Me, with love. Remember that when you coached football you put young boys through drills that were dangerous, for you believed… even knew… that from such trials would come the skills and the spiritual courage necessary for team success. Do I act in similar ways? Of course… sometimes causing, sometimes allowing. (And, understand, these are like the poles of a continuum, one of your favorite models, in that any incident may be part natural and a matter of “chance” and part My direct, causative action.)

There is no “formula” by which I must act. I can be methodical, and I can be capricious, and everything in between. There is no certainty to “God wouldn’t do that”. Just as it is truly said that I, Holy Spirit, act when, where, how, and with whom I choose, so it is with Me, as God and the Christ. “Lo, I am with you always” I said, as Jesus… and I am.