“When Tragedy Strikes” Romans 5:1-5
Introduction
Last week the world watched as the tragic events unfolded surrounding the random violence which occurred at Virginia Tech. A young man apparently for no specific reason, opened fire on fellow students with a handgun.
At least 30 people were killed and 15 others were wounded in the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history. The victims seem to have been completely random. He chose them purely based on who was in front of him.
At time like this it seems natural, perhaps even appropriate, to ask the question: “What is an appropriate Christian response to this kind of tragedy?” Or “How do I respond to this kind of tragedy in the world, can I do anything about it?” Somewhere along the way we’ve been convinced that questions like this are either inappropriate or unanswerable.
What is a distinctively Christian response to tragedy? Many of us carry mistaken beliefs that skew our understanding of God and our ability to know Him and to know the peace, the love, and the hope that he has for us.
The Story of Job
You’ll recall the story of Job found in the Old Testament. Job was a wealthy and prosperous man who lost everything. He lost all of his money, his wife, his children and eventually even his health.
When tragedy struck Job everyone around asked these kinds of questions. They wondered if job was suffering because of some secret sin in his life. They wondered what he had done to earn the disfavor of God.
The Old Testament book that tells his story has 42 chapters containing as many 300 questions. And in the end God doesn’t answer Jobs questions or the questions of those around Job.
Many of us will never have our questions answered either. We won’t always really know why tragedies happened. God does not promise to answer all our questions but he does promise to stick with us and help us when tragedies strike.
God’s word has assured us that He will redeem tragedy and ultimately bring good out of even the worst of circumstances.
God doesn’t always reveal why things happen but He always reveal Himself. And he has revealed His purpose for us. In the midst of tragedy God has called us to live out distinctly Christian lives. We don’t choose tragedy but we can learn to live out a healthy attitude toward tragedy when it comes.
A Groaning World
We live in a groaning world. This planet moans in agony like a sick person in a hospital bed. Sin has wreaked havoc on this planet and all of its inhabitants, humanity included. Pain is all too common and suffering seems to be the norm. I have had people ask me what God is trying to teach them in through their pain.
And others wonder if it is possible to have enough faith to get rid of their pain. They wonder, “How can I get God to rescue me from my troubles?” But maybe part of the reason that we don’t always find answers to such questions is because we are asking the wrong questions. God does use tragedy to teach us things. God is always busy redeeming tragic events. But perhaps a better question than, “Why did this happen” is the question; “How am I called to respond?"
Pain and suffering, tragedy and violence are a part of the fallen, sinful world that we live in and no one – not even Christians – are exempt from the effects that sinfulness and selfishness have wrought on this planet.
C.S. Lewis once wrote that “Pain is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Pain and tragedy can be redeemed if we allow it. Tragedy gives us an opportunity to respond in distinctively Christ-like ways. In the Bible Jesus never really gives the why of suffering, He only gives tells what we ought to do in response to it.
If we listen closely, we can hear the voice of God calling us to action in the midst of pain. If we listen carefully, I believe that we hear Him calling us to live out lives which are distinctly Christ-like.
Distinctively Christian Perspective
Romans 5:1-5 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
These words were written by the Apostle Paul. Paul’s life was full of tragedies. Out of his own experience he describes a distinctively Christian approach to tragedy. Paul gives us seven principals to apply in our lives; faith; peace; grace; perseverance; character; hope; love.
Faith is a synonym for trust. Faith is about believing God for good even when we don’t understand. Faith is central to what it means to be a Christian. In the face of tragedy, faith is trusting God for good even in the face of adversity or sorrow.
Peace is a gift from God that flows from faith. Peace comes when we truly believe that God is in charge and that God is good.
Illustration
Somewhere in the New England States there was a painting contest and the theme was peace. It was narrowed down to two very different paintings and some were questioning when the judges announced that the painting of the beautiful lake with an umbrella in the sand and the soft colors of the sky came in second. People were saying under their breath that they were day- dreaming just looking at the picture.
The judge then held up the one that won, it was of a horrific storm. Debris was floating in the air and a roof lifted off a house. The sky was dark and gloomy. Then the judges pointed out why the painting won, in the background was a beautiful mountain with a cove cut out of it, a bird was laying in its nest not bothered by the storm because it was at peace.
Many of times in out life it is when the world looks peaceful that we are quickly thrown back into the storm and unless we are embraced by the cove, God’ hand we will not achieve the peace He has for us.
Grace is God’s goodness as it is revealed to us. Grace is God’s mercy in our lives.
Perseverance is not giving up, even in the face of adversity. It can be very difficult to have the kind of faith than never questions or worries. And it can be equally difficult to be faithful. It’s only through God’s grace and mercy being expressed in us that we have the strength to remain faithful.
Character is an indefinable quality of the soul. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Character is very often forged in the fires of adversity. It is built on the workbench of hardship.
G. K. Chesterton said, “As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is a mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be strength. Like all the Christian virtues, it is as unreasonable as it is indispensable.”
Love is the driving force through it all. “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” God’s love and compassion carries us through it all. It is through experiencing the love of God and expressing it to one another that we are ultimately strengthened and given power for the journey.
None of us seeks tragedy for ourselves nor should we ever wish tragedy on others. However, from a Christian perspective comes the confidence that God can and will use tragedy for good… He will redeem it for His ultimate purpose. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Conclusion
Franklin Graham, president of the Billy graham Evangelistic Association received the following statement in regard to the week’s tragedy, “My heart is heavy with the tragic news of the deadliest school shooting incident in American history and our prayers are with the dozens of victims and their families during this horrible time. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) has offered the resources of our Rapid Response Team, which sends chaplains trained in crisis counseling, to assist the Blacksburg community in the days ahead as we have done in many situations since 9/11 in New York City.
Sadly, we have once again been reminded of the evil that people can perpetrate on others; and while many theories will surface in the coming days and weeks about how such a terrible act occurs, I believe what we’ve seen here is ultimately a reflection of the condition of the human heart. Having traveled to disaster and war areas around the world, I am often asked why God would allow such acts of destruction or violence upon innocent people; and while I can’t know the whole mind of God I do know two things. First, God created us. Second, God loves us and desires that all would come to Him.
My prayer in this time of tragedy is that it will pull us together as a nation and focus our attention on those families who have suffered great loss and turn our eyes to the Prince of all peace, Jesus Christ.”
Let us pray.
