Meili-Chan

Part 3 How people respond to suffering - 12 Extreme cases page 161

"Did God desire the Holocaust? Ask the question another way: Did God desire the death of his own Son? Obviously, because of His character He could not possibly desire such atrocities. And yet both happened, and the question then moves from the unanswerable "Why?" To another question, "To what end?"

At the instant of pain, it may seem impossible to imagine that good can come from tragedy. We never know in advance exactly how suffering can be transformed into a cause for celebration. But that is what we are asked to believe. Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.

The Chaplain of Dachau (summarised below)
Christian Reger, a survivor
Man can undergo torture if he knows Why of my life but more importantly Who of my life - He was enough to sustain me then, and is enough to sustain me still
Lost faith after a month in Dachau but wife sent Acts 4:26-29 rulers gathering against the Lord and His Annointed One... They did what Your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak Your Word with great boldness
And when he was interrogated about the church, a random minister passed on the same verse.
God did not rescue me and make my suffering easier. He simply assured me that He was alive, and knew I was here.
Now as long as he has health, Reger will speak to tourist where God was during the long night at Dachau"

My notes:
The "to what end" reminded me of the dream I had before my grandfather passed away:
We (my father and I) were walking towards a botanical garden (which was apparently closed?!)  And I reminded my father to take the blood thinner aspirin for his heart. He asked back, "To what end?" And I replied, "Don't you love your children?"
- then I woke up in tears

I want to do all medically possible to keep my family alive because I just can't lose them. However, it is so selfish in a way... To what end?

I'm glad I've been to Dachau! It was different, years gone by but the horror lingers still. But I'm glad that there are delightful hope that can still arise even in the worst persecution.