Looking back at 2012, the year ended with sad news. Here on the US east coast, we were first struck with Super-storm Sandy, which killed at least 135 people, and then with the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT, which took away 26 innocent lives. If I were to make a bold prediction, I would say that among baby girls born in 2013, “Sandy” will not be a very popular name. To make these events specially tragic, both tragedies occurred a few weeks before major holidays for US families. We had a chaotic Thanksgiving and a Christmas with broken hearts.

In the political world, even though the three largest economies (US, China, Japan) had elections and/or leadership changes, the entire world is still living on the edge of fiscal collapse. Political change means very little true reform, and instills little hope.

In such times, we often doubt God. Is God spiteful or incompetent? Are we being punished by God? or is God incapable in helping us?

My friend Bill Peel reminded me that at the time of the birth of Christ, God’s people were asking the same questions. They were under uncertain leadership, they were displaced from their homes, and their children were brutally massacred.

To quote my favorite book title from Francis Shaeffer, “He is here and He is not silent”. God was present inside every storm of our lives. He was there when the innocent were slain. He grieves with every parent the same way He grieved at the Cross.

Our Lord asked in Gethsemane, “Is there is another way?” The answer was “No.” The Cross is the only answer.

When we see that Cross, every question is answered. He gave us his Son, what other proofs of His love do we need? If God is for us, who can be against us? This world is not the best of all worlds, but this is the best way to the best world.

The Cross prove that He is not spiteful, the Resurrection prove that He is not incompetent.