2016 Edition

We live in what has been called ‘a world with ragged edges’. Earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, fires, famine and other natural disasters kill millions of people and injure countless others, sometimes wiping out huge numbers within a few hours. John Blanchard, in this booklet, addresses the question on the lips of many in the face of disasters, showing that actually God is in control.

Every day, accidents claim an untold number of victims. Planes crash, trains are derailed, road vehicles collide, ships are lost at sea, buildings collapse, bridges give way, trees fall, machinery malfunctions. To make matters worse, disease cuts relentless swathes through humankind, causing immeasurable weakness, pain and fear, while ‘man’s inhumanity to man’ brings a terrible toll of suffering.

Yet the Bible claims that God is in sole and sovereign control of everything that happens in the entire universe, that he ‘works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will’ and that he is ‘compassionate and gracious’ and ‘abounding in love’. Is there any way in which all of this can hold together? The answer may surprise you..

Dr John Blanchard entered full-time Christian ministry after thirteen years in the Guernsey Civil Service, and is now an internationally known author, teacher and conference speaker. Some eighteen million copies of his publications are in print in over 60 languages.