Truth In The Midst Of Tragedy

As Christians we can identify with the following scriptures with ease:

We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. John 9:31

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15

You have just heard two very powerful passages of scripture written by two very different individuals; one an Apostle and the other a layman. Both inspired by the Lord and both are of course true. In this truth we have learned to trust in God, and we have gained confidence. However, sometimes this confidence to arrogance and fool us into believing that we understand God’s will completely. Author and Theologian, the late Dr. James Dobson wrote a book “When God Doesn’t Make Sense” One statement from this book the that resonates with me is “Clearly, Scripture tells us that we lack the capacity to grasp God’s infinite mind or the way He intervenes in our lives. How arrogant of us to think otherwise.”

In the times of tragedy, we tend to lose our confidence and it is in those times we need to trust God. Luke 13:1 About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. 2 “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? Luke 13:1-2 (NLT)

Think about it: Here we have Priest and Levites performing their solemn and Holy duty in service of God. A righteous function one that no one can misconstrue as evil in any way. Then they are struck down with swords. All because the governor of the region wanted to make a point. I don’t care who you are or where you are I can get to you so don’t ever get out of line with me or it is curtains for you. Not a clear enough picture? How about something more recent. A bible study is taking place on June 17th of 2015; a young man comes in and shoot and kills nine innocent people. Who were they harming what were they doing other than an act of worship to the Lord? All because this young man wanted to ignite a race war. For Christians a question starts to arise; not why did this happen, because the killer told us why he did it. No, the question is more piercing than that. It is a question that I don’t even want to ask out loud. Why did God allow this to happen.

So, why does the Lord allow these things to happen to not only the sinners but to his saints people as well? Many theologians have wrestled with this question for centuries. I believe in the midst of tragedies Christians began to struggle with why, and it led to Diest way of thinking. The most famous Diest was founding Father Thomas Jefferson. The Diest say we don’t deny there is a God and that he made the universe to include us, but he has stepped away and let it go by itself. As if God wound the universe up like an old fashion clock and just let it go.

The Diest explanations are logical but still not correct. Because it does not account for how God has demonstratively intervened in the lives of believers through prayer…if you have ever had a prayer answered you understand what I am saying. I am reminded of a testimony of a woman of God, (we will call her Lisa) years ago. Lisa was looking to buy a house, and everything was lining up perfectly down the pre-approval. Then Lisa remembered Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Lisa said she prayed a little perhaps half-hearted prayer that went like this: Lord thank you for bringing me through this process of home buying…but if there is any reason I should not but this house please stop it. Later Lisa gets a call from the bank, and her financing had suddenly and inexplicably been denied. This was certainly a surprise since her credit had been pre-approved. Recognizing that she prayed she prayed Lisa did not re-apply and decided to wait upon the Lord (Isaiah 40:31).

In less than 90 days Lisa receives a call from her uncle. Her uncle was elderly and needed assisted living and was attempting to sell his home but could not find a buyer. Now Lisa recognizing the providential hand of God, re-applied for the loan. It is no surprise that it was approved. The circumstances went like this: Lisa’s uncle’s former home was larger than the one she attempted to purchase before and fit the needs of her family better. Also, the money her uncle made from the sale of the home allowed him to live out his final years with the help he needed. As Christians we can easily recognize the hand of God in this testimony and know that this was providence and not blind coincidence.