The God of Providence

There have been around 700 pageviews of the posts on this Blog mentioning the structure failure of the West Stand at Windsor Park, football stadium. Even the Nolan Show have been in touch about it!

These Blog posts highlighted the fact that God does indeed intervene in this world by His overruling providence. At times that overruling providence is designed to teach men the folly of their defiance of God. 

Louis Berkhof, in his Systematic Theology, outlines, with supporting Scripture references, eleven areas of life over which God's Providence extends. They are:

1. The universe at large: 
Psalm 103:19: The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
Daniel 4:35: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
Ephesians 1:11: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.

Windsor Park Stand to be demolished - A costly defiance of God

It has been reported that the Irish Football Association has been advised that they will have to demolish the damaged West Stand at Windsor Park stadium in Belfast. Serious cracks appeared in the structure of the West Stand shortly after the recent Euro 2016 qualifier which was played on the Lord's day.

The report is supposed to have said that the ground has moved around the base of the columns, causing the wall and the beams to also move. As the nature of the structure is top heavy, the stand is leaning on one side over the pitch. 

It has also been acknowledged that it was surprising that nothing more serious had happened when the structure moved. Around 5,000 football supporters were in the stand for the Euro qualifier. It could easily have collapsed with them in it.

The cost of constructing a new replacement stand has been estimated that between £8million and £10million. No doubt a dispute will ensure as to who is going to pay for it.

God has ways of teaching men to respect His Law

The local media in Northern Ireland are reporting that the West Stand at Windsor Park has been sealed off today due to subsidence issues at the Stadium. Cracks have appeared in the structure of the Stand resulting in the area being sealed off. Work on redeveloping the West Stand, with a new structure being constructed behind the existing Stand, has been ongoing for weeks. It has not been confirmed whether the two issues are directly linked. The I.F.A. have called in structural engineers and are awaiting their report. See BBC news report here and the Belfast Telegraph report with pictures here.

It is being reported that local club matches and also further international matches could be in doubt. It may yet cost the I.F.A. a great deal more to repair, than they made from playing a football match on the Lord's day!