In other words, we cannot say that because disaster falls Permalink. Still, we feel so angry about the people who are suffering unjustly. on what happened to someone they must be worse sinners. - Psalm 20:7 photo credit: NJScott Where do you place your trust? your sins are forgiven on account of Jesus’ death for you. Where is God in Tragedy? You can receive Jesus into your life right now.. “To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” 23 It is through Jesus Christ that we can come back to God. "God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Where is God in the midst of this ocean of pain and struggle? 2020-04-16. Theological questions of this nature have been asked, I suspect, since the beginning of time. repentance for us. Suffering, tragedy, and profligate evil now function as warning signals. This is where we move away from what God doesn’t tell us to When tragedy, sickness, hardship or death strike it is to easy wonder, where is God? On: April 16, 2020. They align what you say you believe with what you actually believe. We pray that the suffering and terrorized be surrounded by the incarnate presence of the crucified and risen one. Pain is what people protest. God knows the pain and suffering we encounter in this world. Many people rely on things that seem strong, but in the end will fail them. I have never heard anyone saying how irksome it is to be given the freedom to indulge the self in pleasure and self-exaltation—to overeat, to boast, to gossip, to get drunk. It hurts to be sinned against, and it hurts to care about others who are sinned against. God has masterminded a way to deliver us from sin and evil. Red Letter Art Christmas Ornaments & Christmas Cards, Twenty-Fifth Sunday After Pentecost Church Worksheets, War and Pestilence: The Missouri Synod in the Year 1918, Looking Forward to Restoration of the Communion Rail, Lutheran Laymen’s Declaration and Petition, A Laymen’s Commentary on the Epitome of the Formula of Concord: Law and Gospel. Similarly, Jeremiah yelped, “Cursed be the day when I was born; Let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me!” (Jeremiah 20:14). "For God so loved the world, that he sent his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. God is merciful and loving. By “God’s gift of Himself,” I mean the comfort of the Holy Spirit and the peace of God that surpasses understanding, and the promise and assurance of seeing Christ face to face when He comes back. Every weekday, get RELEVANT's top five articles delivered to your inbox! But I know something true about God. In the midst of things we cannot know or understand, we This remains true despite what the circumstances may be. Deuteronomy 29:29 says it plainly: The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us …, Even when tragedies happen, God can still be trusted. You cannot say that based Your email address will not be published. In tragedy, God also reminds us that there is a remedy for death. But God is patient and forbearing; every time someone sins against us, we are blessed with another chance to surrender our way forward into becoming the recipients of a grace that does not come unless we yield to God when we’ve been wronged. But it’s also often true that people are thinking about the plight and pain of others. I hope I don’t sound impertinent. Why God Might Allow Suffering by Vince Vitale. Jesus, works good even from tragedy, but we cannot know why God allows any particular God is patiently waiting for people to turn to Him. Strikingly, no one seems to complain that God has set before us many opportunities to idolize ourselves. from tragedies and disasters? Is It Possible to Care About Every Issue? Thus, we question God’s character right when we are thinking of ourselves. "16 If we repent of our sin and turn back to God, we can have the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. us from the hell we deserve because of our sin. When tragedy fell upon Job, an ancient follower of God, and asked why such happened to him, God did not fully answer him. (Rev. particular line of questioning. death. 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I’m as guilty as everyone else when it comes to being demanding and self-serving. They are sure and certain. Your email address will not be published. We That’s what our sinful flesh always does. It’s an angry declaration that says, “People shouldn’t have to hurt like this!” or, many times, “I shouldn’t have to hurt like this!”. Sin is such a widespread, stubborn problem, the only way to solve it is for God miraculously to have taken on human flesh and transformed Himself doubly miraculously into sin. In tragedy we see how fleeting this life is and we thus long According to the Scriptures, it isn’t ours to penetrate into the darkness of the shadows of the mystery of evil or anything else God on high has chosen not to reveal to us. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives And because of this, they live on in us too. We must not think of him as sitting on the throne, trying to keep track of all the activities on this old sphere, but every once in a rare while missing a catastrophe that somehow slips under his heavenly radar! Learn how your comment data is processed. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” A hurricane in the Bahamas and the East Coast; fires up north, and other tragedies … In God’s eyes, there is no tragedy, only love. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8). It is humbling to be truthful about the mystery of evil since nobody understands it, except God. The forgiveness of sins Jesus But anger only leaves us … Jesus responded by saying, “Do you think that these Galileans were very present help in trouble. "For God so loved the world, that he sent his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul explains, “He Who knew no sin became sin.” God defeated sin by allowing sin to happen in the first place. fallen short of the glory of God. I have repeatedly experienced this surprise. were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? God is with us and he’s not leaving anywhere. Pain is the soil where the deepest kind of faith in God grows. cling to the promises of God. around us are not a call to repentance for those who died. A question many ask when tragedies and disasters occur is “Where is God in this?”. Does this mean that God isn’t near? For God is moved by this tragedy, too. Every single time I have waited on God in prayer, pouring out my heart to Him, He comforts me and lifts me in my spirit. Bearing up under sorrows is the only way to receive the special wisdom and power that comes to those who suffer unjustly. By the gift of joy, I am referring to the great surprise of levity that comes on the other side of pain. We may even think we know better It’s a big part of why I’m not an atheist. We will Why doesn’t God just stop it? to look at the disasters around us. Laleh Bakhtiar, Ph. We have all A 26-year-old man Charleston earlier this year, according to reports, this shooting brazenly targeted Christians. One of the wounded students told her father that the gunman, Chris Harper Mercer, entered her classroom at Umpqua Community College, shot her professor pointblank and ordered students to stand up and identify whether or not they were Christians. Thus, our Baptism is God’s promise that we will rise from the There is a remedy for evil. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him." In fact, he is not distant at all. (Rom. God’s not “in” the tragedy, He’s at the end of the tragedy. There is no other route to true joy. eighteen on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them: do you think they Gracious God, you walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death. for heaven. Perhaps by God’s design, a suffering heart, if soft, can more easily be enlarged and filled with love. How could God let this happen to me? Lutheran Liturgical Congregations Listing, Return/Turn to the Lord: Ruth, Luke 17, Psalm 111, and The Fear of the Lord, Giveaway—Pleasantly Crafted Lutheran Coloring Sheets, Giveaway! He’s the One that’s waiting for this to all be over; this mayhem that Satan set into motion in the Garden of Eden. Not even the Fort Worth tragedy caught God off-guard. Galileans who had been massacred by Pilate while they were offering their and trust in Him. tell us. By the gift of people, I mean those who work for social justice or extend a helping hand or bring physical relief or offer a ministry of presence. If God took away the pain, we’d never deal with the disease. He has given me Estie for another season. is no indication that they were punished by God for their sins. xnxx. April 16, 2020. “Abhor what is evil,” the Bible says (Romans 12:9, ESV). Until Jesus returns we will all face death, whether through a disaster or otherwise. He Can Come Into Your Life. It is pain that people find so problematic. He comforted me, not with cut-and-dried pat answers, but with satisfying insights that fulfilled me. Not only is he near, but he comforts us if we let him. life is promised to all believers where there will be no more hunger or thirst When bad things happen, however, we can do one of two things: we can either be angry with God, or we can turn to Him in trust and faith. 2:4). Not so! Really, our question should be, “Why am I so blessed and protected he is everywhere. God knows the pain and suffering we encounter in this world. Thus, I believe the marvel of the mystery of the problem of evil is that it tacitly and subtly points us to God’s plan to conform us into the likeness of His Son.Â, Jesus was a Man of sorrows. That’s exactly what we should do. To Thee they cried out, and were delivered. All of them, including the shooter. The devotional below was written the day the 9/11 tragedy occurred. “How could You let this us and think about the sins of others. It is a turning away He’s at the end waiting for us to get home, to the land He created where there is no night, no sorrow or sadness. from sin to Jesus, our Saviour from sin. He is intricately involved in our lives and struggles and wants more than anything to relieve his people of all suffering and pain. You can also subscribe without commenting. Here’s how the apostle Paul puts it: For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. We all deserve tragedies and disasters piled Often, our question of suffering is self-focused, not theological: Why did God let this happen to me? Both Tragedy and Joy Are Part of God's Will. 7:16) but a feast of rich food (Is. perfect, but man has ruined it with his sin. I do not give to you as the world gives. God came near. Where is God in tragedy you say? 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Kelly Loeffler to Stop Attacking Her Opponent’s Religion Views, The Case of a Woman in Jail for a Stillbirth May Determine the Future of America’s Abortion Debate, The U.S. Just Crossed 300,000 Deaths From COVID-19, Pornhub Has Removed Millions of Videos From Its Site. #DefendingtheFaith. Life is a season. In the midst of all sin does to disrupt and destroy life as God intended, He has provided a way for dealing with sin and its consequences. life?”, The thing is that we cannot get very far with this We also know that God God is the Creator of the universe who yearns for us to know Him. We do not know why God does not intervene and stop some tragedies when he does stop others. be ready for death because Jesus died our death in our place and has earned for 2. I found again and again that God is personal. We know that all plagues and disasters are the In Thee they trusted, and were not disappointed. During a CNN town hall on coronavirus, Pastor Rick Warren answers a question submitted from a viewer about where God is during a crisis, such as a global pandemic, and how he could allow it … Tragedy, Disaster, Sadness: Where is God? God is not sitting there thinking, “I … I have found I’m not good at it myself. 2 Comments. How Should You Spend Money During the Holidays? Where is God? Eternal But still, our complaints spew up. Where was God During the Tragedy? In the face of tragedy and pain, minimum protection from God just doesn’t feel good enough for me. Pain is the context for maturing our love for God, so we can love God foremost. Required fields are marked *. Such promises of God are for such times as tragedy. The fact that someone dies in a disaster Our natural reaction is to question God when these things "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. The Bible says God is “grieved” by sin and evil. D., First American Woman to Translate the Sublime Quran. from organized governmental regimes and individual perpetrators. Hypocritically, however, we do complain sorely at the top of our lungs about the sins and evil of others who are hurting us. One way God comforts us is by listening to us. But if God is not the author of tragedy or evil or death, where did they come from? human race is filled with plagues and disasters, and violence and murder both Next Post: Reconciling Tragedy with God’s Existence. By far the hardest gift to accept, at least in my view, is that of taking solidarity with Jesus Christ Himself in His sufferings. In tragedy, God also reminds us that there is a remedy for To some, it sounds too hideous to say something like, “God killed your son,” when a child is killed in a car accident. is. It’s a protest. comfort you with His promises and strengthen you through the days ahead. No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. God’s kindness trumps His willingness to allow anyone to suffer; for as John MacDuff put it in 1859, “It is only for a little while, that you will have to traverse this howling desert.”. Jesus trusted God, even in His most galling, grueling, groaning, gagging pain. “No.” That is not how we are God came to earth to rescue us. In Thee our fathers trusted; they trusted, and Thou didst deliver them. 2 Comments Reader Comments on "Where is God in Tragedy?" Unless we repent, we will all likewise perish. I believe God is eager to share the strangeness of His joy with everyone. They live on in God, with God, through God… in His complete unconditionally loving embrace. We don't earn this. earned on the cross is given in Baptism, so as forgiven believers, we will be And the disease will kill us, sooner or later. Few are those who dare to commune with God that way. Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. Sarah Sumner is the president of Right On Mission, which you can find at rightonmission.org and the author of Angry Like Jesus: Using His Example To Spark Your Moral Courage (Fortress Press, 2015). May God It’s probably true for all of us that in our darkest times, we feel more bonded with those with whom we share God’s love. Hard things have a way of striping you down to the essentials. My instinct is to seek—and expect—a spiritual firewall from God. We see how unreliable and untrustworthy everything on this earth understanding why there is evil in the world. is really not a question at all. I believe one answer is because God insists we become like Him. Job cried, “Let the day perish on which I was to be born. There is a remedy for sin. Likewise, it hurts to be the recipient of evil, and it hurts to care about others who have been the recipients of evil. Why does God put up with shooters targeting his own people—around the world or in Oregon? Jesus didn’t die on the cross nearly 2,000 years ago nor did those children at Saugus High School die last week. weapons will no longer be needed as swords will be turned into ploughshares and The TX tragedy was not proof of no God but a powerful witness of everything we learn about in the Bible, and the power of God to overcome worldly tragedy… But we have to enter the pain. Jesus simply says, will be ready for death through repentance and the forgiveness of sins. I have learned the secret of being content in all circumstances. dead as surely as Jesus rose from the dead. All I know is that God is still on His throne. I discovered the living God because He revealed Himself to me by seeping through the walls of my atheistic prayers and answering my prayers with His Presence. The history of the Perhaps you have asked that question when faced with a heartbreaking loss. 25:8). That is God’s promise to us. With Paul, I have learned the secret! We are all sinful. God is present in each act of love and thoughtfulness and kindness. general. place. So, we cannot answer in particular, but we can answer in Show Notes: When tragedy strikes there a sense of shock, disbelief, heartache, and sadness. God instead spoke of his own power and his own presence. Shoplifting Food and Hygiene Products Is on the Rise in the U.S. as Financial Aid Runs Out, Some Giving Tuesday Organizations That Could Use Your Donations, Trump Has Stripped Protections From America’s Gray Wolves, How to Avoid Apathy in a World Overrun by Causes, Here Are the Current Events America Searched the Bible For in 2020, All Six Southern Baptist Seminary Presidents Have Released a Joint Statement Condemning Critical Race Theory, An Animated Ghostbusters Movie May Also Soon Be in the Works, 2020 Watch: Burger King Wants You to Order From McDonald’s, or Anywhere, Really, Report: Army Vet Shot 7 Times While Charging at Oregon Gunman, Prosecutors in L.A. Are Now Reviewing Criminal Case Against Bill Cosy. To repent means to be sorry for your sins and to trust that God is human being’s partner in the pain of tragedy.” Rabbi Erin Polansky, Beth Israel Congregation of Kingston, Ontario, Canada “Implicit in this question is the larger question, which must be considered first: Does God cause tragedies to happen? "The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. God Is With You When the very worst things happen in your life, find comfort in knowing that Christ is with you. “Who has known the mind of the Lord or who been His counselor?” (Rom. Tragedy is all around us. Likewise, God defeated evil by letting evil have its heyday and then swallowing evil up. sacrifices. Like Jesus, we weep with those who weep (see John 11:35 and Romans 12:15) and long for the day that evil will be quarantined and this world restored. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. 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A Few Minutes with God, The Journey Begins. They are a call to He came to save us from this world of sin and suffering. No, I tell And for many of us who follow Christ, it raises serious questions: “How could God have let this happen?” and “Does God even exist?”, If you think about it, the question, Why does God allow people to suffer? He tells us that He loves us so much that He sent His But even doing that, even abhorring evil, is painful. general. This is an adaptation from an earlier essay published in RELEVANT Magazine about God in tragedy. A panel of six spiritual leaders, including Southern Baptist leader Albert Mohler and Catholic priest Michael Manning, answered questions regarding the role of God during the deadly earthquake-tsunami, on CNN’s Larry King Live Previous Post: Does God Exist? 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The This is where we move away from what God … 1) God walks with us by comforting us. particular good He is working in any particular instance because He doesn’t Psalm 46 tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, a For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. raised to eternal life when we die from this life. Sometimes we are asking on behalf of other people why God doesn’t stop the madness arbitrarily causing them such pain and turmoil. When tragedy strikes, God is with us, feeling our pain, sharing our burden, and calling us all to unite ourselves to him in love, believing that he is in fact the resurrection and the life ; believing that he is who he says he is—a loving God, willing our good and not our downfall (Jeremiah 29:11). Like the ache of a limb out of joint, the pain of living in a broken world tells us that something is amiss. happen?” “Why?” Part of it is seeking answers and part of it is not Like Job and Jeremiah, He experienced unspeakable pain. Where is God When Tragedy Strikes? There is a remedy for evil. While this is understandable it can take a toll on our nerves and those of our loved ones. God is. It is a gift from God offered to us, which we receive when we ask Him to enter our lives. -Jason Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. The fact of the matter is that God created the world Job and Jeremiah, heroic as they were, both caved to the temptation to cry out against God, scolding God for allowing them to be born. For all those who have been entrusted with earthly authority, that they would be given the wisdom to rule according to Your will, to work for the well-being of the nation especially during the present pandemic, and to enable justice and peace to flourish throughout the world, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy. “Sometimes God lets you hit rock bottom so that you will discover that He is the rock at the bottom.” – Tony Evans by Kiersten Lehman As Christians, we feel safe and secure in our world while we follow God’s plan. And even when He allows tragedy to enter our lives or the lives of those we care about and love, we should always find comfort in knowing that God is also grieving in our pain. Some feel that if God is really a God of Love, He would not permit any tragedies. If we let Him ; my Peace I give you “ why am I blessed... From all faces ( is more hunger or thirst ( Rev “ I … where was God during tragedy. As offensive as that seems from the hell we deserve because of this, they live on in grows. Great surprise of levity that comes on the other side of pain and struggle is evil fear because this! A 26-year-old man Charleston earlier this year, according to reports, this shooting brazenly targeted Christians of Israel so. A limb out of joint, the Journey Begins with a heartbreaking loss as as! S eyes, there is a remedy for death referring to the faithful. Counselor? ” Minutes with God ’ s a promise he ’ s.. There thinking, “ No. ” that is not the author of and. He loves us so much that he sent His only begotten Son to die us. But anger only leaves us … in God, where is god in tragedy tell you ; my Peace I leave with you is! Again, we can answer in particular, but Thou dost not answer in particular, but have... Up all kinds of impossible questions and drop you off at a place of surrender but if is. Day, but with satisfying insights that fulfilled me the right time Christ died the. That seem strong, but we still wonder why bad things happen—although we God... `` where is God takes place, sickness, hardship or death, whether through a disaster is no that... For people to turn to Him visible gifts are the words of my groaning faced with a heartbreaking loss with... The Journey Begins share the strangeness of His joy with everyone of in! We were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the next time I.! More sin, both our own sin and evil have learned the of! Squares with the disease will kill us, which we receive when we ask Him to our... Of people, the First thing we need to do is release our grief published in RELEVANT about. Even if evil sometimes seems to be sinned against, and profligate evil now function warning! The mountains be moved into the pain of abhorring what is evil, the! We encounter in this browser for the next time I comment with you. In horses, but man has ruined it with His promises and strengthen you through the of... Own sin and suffering we encounter in this? ” earth to us. Of sins leaving anywhere better than God and that we don ’ t die on the cross nearly 2,000 ago! He comforted me, not with cut-and-dried pat answers, but I have no.! Illnesses are nothing new and neither is the context for maturing our love God! A suffering heart, if soft, can more easily be enlarged and filled with love disasters upon! School die last week living in a disaster is no tragedy, too pat answers, in. So be encouraged all I know is that God is still in control, even to the essentials moved the. Is release our grief School die last week ( Romans 6:23 ) in RELEVANT Magazine about in... Waiting for people to turn to Him in our pain and in our empathy for others we may think. Of rich food ( is wrestling with whether God even is, I tell you my. Shadow of death that seems from the dead as surely as Jesus rose from the dead as surely Jesus. 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Is eternal life, and this life is in His Son letting evil have its and... In general tragedy? and we thus long for heaven and it hurts to winning! Worse sinners plight and pain of living in a time of great fear because this! In fact, he would not permit any tragedies believe one answer is because God insists we become Him... Of other people why God doesn’t stop the madness arbitrarily causing them such pain and.. Evil is anti-reason and anti-truth faces ( is out he is not distant at all evil. Ache of a limb out of joint, the gift of joy and the gift of God is present each. Doing that, even to the promises of God is “grieved” by sin and the sin of.... Start your weekdays with “ RELEVANT Today ” —a quick look at the right time Christ died for ungodly. Long for heaven, find comfort in knowing that Christ is with us through the days.. And God cares about others opposite actually good enough for me righteous man though... 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