Thoughts on the question, “How long?”
Dr Bruce Manners
Senior minister
Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church
The number of confirmed deaths from last week’s Christchurch earthquake continues to rise. It’s now difficult to imagine it possible to find anyone alive in the rubble, and yet there’s still hope someone else has survived.
Yesterday, Christchurch mayor Bob Parker said he hoped for a miracle, just one more survivor from the rubble. And it’s something we’d all like to see. It’s as if one (or two, or three) more surviving is some kind of victory for the human spirit.
So, we hope. It may be a faint hope, but still we hope.
Ripples of impact mean a disaster such as this one can’t be limited to a geographic area. I’ve spoken to several locals who have family in the Christchurch area. They’re relieved and recognise they’re fortunate their families are safe.
This has been a summer of dramatic and rolling disasters in our area. It’s unprecedented in our recorded history. No one can assume they’re safe. And as Christians aware of God’s desire to rescue our planet, we ask how much longer can this go on?
This isn’t a new question. “How long?” is a recurring question in the Psalms. It’s usually couched like this: “How long, God, will you let this situation continue? When will you step in?” It’s a question not limited to the Psalms, though (see Habakkuk 1:2, Zechariah 1:12 and Revelation 6:10, for example).
We Christians recognise God stepped into history in the first century. That gives us confidence in Jesus’s promise to return. It’s our hope. The life of Jesus makes it real, believable and certain.
However, that doesn’t stop us asking, “How long?” while we await this final miracle. And we pray for it. Events such as the Christchurch earthquake remind us this isn’t a selfish prayer, it’s something our world needs.
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