“HOW TO HANDLE TRAGEDY”
SELECTED PASSAGES
OPEN
The Poisonwood Bible is a novel written by Barbara Kingsolver. It’s about a family who in 1959 move from the state of Georgia in the USA to a small village in the Belgian Congo to swerve as missionaries. The family is comprised of Nathan Price and his long-suffering wife Orleanna along with their five daughters. Rachel is the oldest. Leah and Ada are twins. Ruth May is the baby.
Early one morning the girls go to the chicken coop. It was there they saw the vile creature that had been terrorizing the village – a green mamba snake. Green mambas are a combination of speed, camouflage, and deadly venom.
The girls are brave but foolish. They chase the snake from out of the chicken coop. And it’s at this point they hear the sound that would bring drastic alteration to their lives. Little Ruth May had followed her sisters to the chicken coop but she was just far enough behind that she encountered the snake just as it fled. When the snake struck, Ruth May cried out but only briefly. Death was almost instantaneous.
Kingsolver has Rachel, the oldest daughter, say: “The whole world would change then, and nothing would ever be all right again. Not for our family. All the other people in the whole wide world might go on about their business, but for us it would never be normal again.”
Rachel’s sentiment about what happened to her baby sister probably reflects the way we felt ten years ago today. As a nation, we watched in stunned disbelief as two airliners crashed into the World Trade Center. We sat glued to televisions and heard about the attack on the Pentagon and the failed attempt that was probably headed for the White House or for the Capitol Building. We shed tears and watched as thousands of people died as the towers of the WTC collapsed killing not only the employees within but also brave responders who sought to rescue those in trouble because of the tragedy.
Most of you probably remember exactly where you were when you first heard the news. I was preaching in French Lick at the time. My children had gone to school and my wife to her job as a dental assistant. I was waiting at the parsonage for some men who were coming to replace a screen door.
I normally would have had The Fox News Channel playing while I was waiting but this morning I didn’t. I had a southern gospel music program playing on the satellite as I took care of some things around the house. When the men got there, they asked me if I’d heard that a plane had crashed into one of the towers of the WTC. They said they heard it on the radio in their truck on the way out.
I immediately tuned in and watched the replay of the first plane. Then I watched in horror as the second plane crashed into the other tower. It was clear by now this was no accident. I spent the whole day glued to the TV as I bounced back and forth between unbridled anger and abject sorrow. I prayed for those who suffered and raved at those who had perpetrated such horrendous atrocities.
Nobody is immune from disaster. Everyone here, if you haven’t already, will face tragedy. It’s inevitable. Everybody will go through some form of crises; some type of tragedy in their lives.
We live in a broken world. 9-11-2001 was just a reminder that we live in a world where tragedy is just part of life. Here recently there have been hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and floods. All have caused a great wake of suffering and loss.
The Bible is very clear that bad things do happen – even to innocent people. In Lk. 13:1-5 – Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
A tower falls over and kills 18 people. Another group of people are killed while they’re worshiping God. Tragedies. But Jesus says here that when we hear about tragedy we shouldn’t seek someone to blame. Instead we should take stock of our own lives. We should reflect and see if there are any changes we need to make in the way we’re living.
Now the Bible is very clear that God is not the author of evil. He didn’t cause what happened ten years ago today. In fact, God grieves with us when such atrocities are committed. God is more offended than we are when such things take place.
I know that you’re thinking: I thought God was all-powerful? I thought He was sovereign over all things? And the answer to those questions very simple. He gives each person a choice – freewill to do what they choose. He forces no one to follow Him or be obedient to Him. The people who plotted, planned, and executed the horror we all saw on that Tuesday on September 11, 2001made the choice to do so,
But the Bible also makes it very clear that God is still very much in control. I have to admit that there really are no easy answers when it comes to dealing with tragedy. However the Bible offers us something that is far better than any easy answer. The Bible offers us hope.
The Bible provides the assurance that no matter what happens in this life, we can have a peace that goes above and beyond all circumstances. Paul describes it in Phil 4:7 as a “peace that transcends all understanding.” We can have a confidence and a living hope in the God who never lets us down, no matter what is going on around us.
I want to share with you four principle that help us deal with tragedy. 9-11 2001 was not the only tragedy that we’ll face. These are principles that have helped me and countless others get through all kinds of tragedy and trouble.
RELEASE MY EMOTIONS TO GOD
You have to let God know how you feel. You have to be completely honest with Him. Tragedy always brings strong emotions. If you’re going to get through tragedy, you have to be free to release your emotions to God.
I have a confession to make. I grew up with the mistaken idea that God couldn’t handle my feelings. Somewhere I had picked up the notion that I had to pretend that I was okay with things when bad stuff happened. It’s almost like I expected God to say, “Buck up! Quit your complaining!” And some of you probably feel that way as well – that you can’t share your feelings openly with God.
That mindset is devastating to your faith. It means that your relationship with God lacks honesty. You’re holding yourself back from opening up to the One who made you.
I struggled with this problem until I began to read my Bible and see that there have been people who have been completely honest with God. They shared their and struggles with Him.
One good example is Habakkuk. The entire book that bears his name is all about Habakkuk’s struggle with some honest questions he had about God. Listen to one of his question. Hab. 1:2-3 – How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.
God doesn’t rebuke Habakkuk for his questions, for his statements of doubt and confusion, for being honest with his feelings. God simply answers Habakkuk. Through his honesty with God and God’s patience to Habakkuk, Habakkuk concludes the book with a prayer that includes a great statement of faith. Hab. 3:18-19 – I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.
So, what’s the lesson for us? You can bring your complaints and questions to God. He’s big enough to handle your doubts, complaints, questions, and feelings. He’s even big enough to handle your anger. That’s why you can release your feelings to God.
In Mt. 5:4, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Literally, God blesses those who mourn. So, it’s okay to grieve. It’s okay to mourn. God doesn’t expect you to be happy all the time. You can face your feelings honestly. You can release it all to God.
Ps. 62:8 tells us, Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. King David wrote this psalm. He’s a great example of someone who did just what he wrote here. As you read through the Psalms, you’ll hear David ask questions such as these: How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?” David was incredibly honest in expressing how he felt to God.
Jeremiah is another example. Jer. 12:1 – You are always righteous, O LORD, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?
In each example, we see brutal honesty. There is complete authenticity in their questions and struggles. Yet God never once said, “Don’t ask such questions.” God has never said, “You can/t be open and honest with me about your struggles.” God is big. He can handle your doubts, fears, and questions. He can handle how you feel. So, first, release your emotions to God.
REFUSE TO BE BITTER
When something happens that is so wicked, so evil, and so horrifying, we many times begin to nurse hatred in our hearts. But bitterness and hatred are never the Christ-like response to such things.
Bitterness and hatred are actually diseases that are fatal to the soul. Heb. 12:15 – See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. The NLT translation translates “bitter root” as “poisonous root.”
Bitterness is dangerous. Bitterness will poison your soul. It damages those around you. When you become bitter, you’ve surrendered to your enemy. The minute you become bitter, they’ve won. They’ve not only inflicted physical and emotional damage, they’ve poisoned your soul.
Jesus said something that seems impossibly hard to do at times like this. Lk. 6:27-28 – But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
I have to share with you that I really don’t want to love people who intentionally do harmful things. I want to hate them. I can only do it by God’s grace and the strength He provides. I have to pray, “god, give me alove for them. Give me forgiveness in my heart. Give me your love for them.” It sounds impossible but God can do it if you’ll just let Him.
Is it wrong to want revenge? Yes. Why? Because when we plot revenge, we try to take over a responsibility that belongs to God. Heb. 10:30 – For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
It’s not our job to get revenge. It’s God’s job. And God promises that he will hold every human being accountable for what they’ve done. It’s his job to repay.
I know the struggle. Sometimes it would seem so sweet to exact some revenge on those who hurt us. The story is told of a soldier who was fighting over in Iraq who received a letter from his girlfriend that said she was breaking up with him. In the letter she also asked for him to return the picture of herself that she had given him, because she needed it for her bridal announcement.
The soldier was heartbroken and told his friends about the breakup and about her request. Someone came up with this idea -- the whole platoon gave him pictures of all of their girlfriends and told him to send them to his ex-girlfriend with this note, "For the life of me, I can’t remember which picture is yours, so please remove your picture from all of these pictures I’m sending and return the rest of them to me!"
We have to change our focus. It’s not okay to want revenge, but it is okay to want justice. There’s a huge difference between revenge and justice. We should pray for justice when evil is perpetrated.
Following the events of 9-11-2001, John Piper commented, “We will magnify the mercy of God by praying for our enemies to be saved and reconciled to God. At the personal level, we will be willing to suffe3r for their everlasting good, and we will give them food and drink. We will put away malicious hatred and private vengeance. But at the public level we will also magnify the justice of God by praying and working for justice to be done on earth, if necessary through wise and measured force from God-ordained authority,”
It sounds impossible. And you’re right – it is impossible. You see, the attacks on 9-11, 2001 were not just against the country I love. It was also an attack on members of my family. At that time, I had an aunt and uncle who were civilian employees in the Pentagon. Both escaped with minor injuries.
It is not natural to forgive those who do such things. It’s not normal to want to keep bitterness out of your soul. It’s impossible – unless God helps you. You have to pray, “God, help me with this. I don’t want to be forgiving. I want to be bitter.”
Moving on after a tragedy means that we have to ask God for His help. I have to release my emotions to God. I have to refuse to be bitter.
RUN TO GOD FOR SAFETY
There’s no such thing as a safe place. Did you hear about the fellow who heard that 85% of all accidents happen at home? He decided to move. In all seriousness, you hear about people moving to places they believe are safe only to discover they’re not safe after all.
Before 9-11-2001, most people thought the Pentagon was impregnable. Nobody guessed that the defenses of the Pentagon could be overcome so brutally and efficiently. Any illusion of the Pentagon being a safe place vanished when 325 people died when the airliner struck that building.
So, where do we go to find safety? We run to God. Ps. 46:1-3 – God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
A refuge in that day was an elevated, isolated place of safety. It was a place you could go to be safe from the enemy. It was a place to go when you had no place else to go. And God is our refuge and strength. That’s why David writes “therefore we will not fear.”
Images of destruction may haunt us – but we don’t have to be afraid. Even if the world ends, even in the face of utter destruction, you can run to God. He is the only safe refuge in a very uncertain world.
I think that most people instinctively understand this particular reality. The first words that a lot of people said after hearing about what had happened on -11-2001 were, “My God!” Those words may have been reflexive but it does make sense. Who do you call when tragedy happens? Where else would you turn?
A little earlier in this message, we heard the words of Ps. 62:8 – Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. It’s comforting to know that we can run to the arms of God and find refuge. It’s a place where we’re safe – no matter what happens.
Jesus tells us in Mt. 10:28 – Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. We don’t have to be afraid of terrorists – whether they’re a bully at school, that vindictive person at work, or the operatives of an organization like al Qaeda. Those attacks cannot destroy our souls. So, when we run to God, we can have the knowledge that no matter what happens in this life –and even in death – we have ultimate safety and victory in Him.
If you belong to jesus Christ, you don’t need to be afraid. You’re safe, God is open as a refuge to all of us. Because of what Christ did on the cross, you can be safe. And no matter what you’ve done, no matter who you are, you can run to God. You can have peace today and security for your future – for all eternity.
After 9-11-2001, the world seemed to become a more dangerous place. Events like that remind us that in this world we are never really safe. There’s only one place of safety. It’s in the refuge that God offers.
When I face tragedy, I’ve got to release my emotions to God. I have to refuse to be bitter. I’ve got to run to God and God alone for safety.
RELY ON GOD’S CHARACTER
I’ve got to count on Him. You can rely on God no matter what happens. You can rely on Him because He never changes. Your circumstances may change. You can lose your job, your finances, your marriage, or your health. But you will never lose the security of knowing that God never changes.
God says in Mal. 3;6 – “I the LORD do not change.” Heb. 13:8 tells us: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
The prophet Jeremiah wrote a book in the Old Testament called lamentations. It’s a book that is exactly like it sounds. It’s full of mourning and weeping. The city of Jerusalem had been completely destroyed. But Jeremiah wasn’t just upset about the destruction of the city. When the city was destroyed, the dreams of a nation were destroyed. They had expected the city of Jerusalem to be the base from which God would rule. When the city was destroyed, the people’s hope and faith in God were destroyed as well.
In the middle of mourning for the city and its people, Jeremiah writes some amazing words. Lam. 3:21-24 – Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
The fact that the sun rises every day is a reminder that no matter how bad things seem, God doesn’t change. You can depend on God. His promises will never fail. Every morning is a reminder – a renewal – of God’s mercies to you and to me.
Ps. 11:3 tells us how people who lived thousands of years ago felt in a time of crisis. They ask: “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” It seemed like the situation was hopeless; even for those who believed in God. /Where do you turn when it seems like everything is falling apart?
The answer is found in the next verse. Ps. 11:4 – The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. God watches everything closely and He is still ruling from heaven.
When you look at circumstances, you may say, “what’s the use? I give up!” But don’t look at the circumstances. Look at God. He hasn’t changed. He’s still on His throne. He hasn’t been overthrown. You can rely on Him.
Let me share quickly with you four things you can know about God that will never change. The first thing is that God’s love for you will never change. Jer. 31:3, God says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Paul comments on God’s love in Rom.8:38-39 – For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. God’s love for you will never change. You can always count on it – no matter what happens.
The second thing you can count on is that God’s Word will never change. Is. 40:8 – The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. Jesus tells us in Mt. 24:35 – “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” No matter what changes in life, no matter even if the heavens and earth disappear, you can count on God’s Word. His promises will never fail. If you’re building on any other foundation than God’s Word, you’re building on unstable ground.
God’s purpose never changes. Ps. 33:11 – But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. That’s what I call stability. Unmoved by any circumstance God’s plans and purposes remain the same. When everything around us is changing, when the world looks like it’s falling apart, when it looks like there nowhere to turn, you can count on God.
God’s concern for us never changes. Jesus tells us in Mt. 10:29 – “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” God knows everyone’s story. He knows your tragedy and loss. He cares. He’s willing to comfort you.
CLOSE
In the early days at Ground Zero in Manhattan shortly after the events ten years ago, a cross of streel beams was found amid the rubble of the World Trade Center. It was not constructed by anyone. The beams just broke off that way during the collapse of one of the towers.
It was said that this cross brought hope to thousands of workers in the early days of the cleanup. As they scrapped and clawed futilely for survivors, many of the workers would visit the cross on a daily basis for strength. It was a symbol of hope for them that things would be all right.
The cross of Chris is a permanent symbol of hope for every person and in every age. It’s odd that as Christians, our symbol of hope is an old, rugged, wooden instrument of torture where our Savior bled and died. How could that offer anyone hope? It’s strange how God works isn’t it.
The reason that it is a symbol of hope is because of what happened there. Jesus, God in the flesh, died to bring salvation to a world that was destroyed by sin. You see, whether it’s at Ground Zero in Manhattan in the 21st century or on a hill called Golgotha in the 1st century, the cross still stands bringinghop0e mto a lost and dying world.
