Friday, May 24, 2013

O God, Where art Thou?

What a strange few weeks it has been. I have sat many an hour pondering the events of these weeks, and the weeks to come, and the question that is the title to this post kept ringing in my ears.  In the past few weeks the world has watched as the plant in West, TX blew up.  We watched on as an abortion doctor was convicted of murder for killing babies after they were born.  We saw the devastation of the tornado as it ripped through the town of Moore, OK, and many of us held our breath waiting for survivors to be found.  Then, when the death toll was confirmed and the stories of that day came out, our hearts broke for families torn apart, parents without children.  

In the midst of this tragedy, there are many in this world who cried out asking, "Where are you God?"  When I was searching for my loved one, where were you?  When I found the devastating truth, why weren't you there?  Why, God?  Why did this happen?  Why am I experiencing this?  Where are you?

It is so easy to begin to believe that God could not have been there when these terrible events occurred. Surely a God of love could not stand by as these atrocities happened.  The logical conclusion seems to be that God had abandoned those situations or predetermined those situations in some way.  It would be so easy to begin to blame these things on our actions, our sinfulness as the cause of tragedy.  There are hate groups doing that.  The little Kansas terror cell that calls themselves Westboro Baptist Church.  They are not a church and they are at their core terrorists!  In their eyes, these things are the wrath of God poured out on humanity.  They are wrong!

The problem with their theory is God is not the business of causing His children to suffer.  According to Psalm 34:18, " God is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."  God did not cause the suffering of these tragic events.  He was not somewhere "out to lunch" when all of these things were happening.  In fact, if we hold to the promise of Psalm 34:18, we know exactly where God was during these events.  

When that plant exploded and lives were lost, God was there in the fire.  He was with the man who was running to safety but didn't make it.  He was with the daughter who waited for mom to come home, and is still waiting.  He was with those who lost someone and with a town who had to pickup and carry on.  He was with those precious babies as that man took their lives.  He was with the schoolchildren as their teachers tried to protect them during that monster storm.  He was with the teacher who broke protocol and prayed over her students.  He was with the parents who would never again see their children on earth.  He was with those who crossed over and those who were left behind.  God was with all of these people in their time of need.  He never left.  He never looked away.  He never gave up!  He walked with them, spoke to them, and welcomed some home.  God was there in the midst of the tragedy holding out hope to those who would trust Him.

That is our comfort.  Those of us looking on from afar and wondering why.  The comfort Jesus promised in John 16:33, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."  For those of us who trust in Jesus, this life is not the end.  This world will throw many things at us, but Jesus has overcome every obstacle we will face.  We may face tribulation greater than anything we have seen these past few weeks, but Jesus has promised that we will overcome because He overcame.  Because of this promise, we can have peace.

Even in the midst of these greatest of tragedies, we can know that God is still on His throne.  Psalm 45 tells us His throne lasts forever.  There He is seated on it.  In the midst of tragedy, the world still turns.  During the hour that the tornado in Moore was on the ground, 24 lives were lost.  In that same hour, there were 450 babies born in the United States, 133,500 worldwide.  God is still on His throne.  The process of creation still moves forward.  Unfortunately, because of the fall, death is part of that creation.  

As Moore, OK begins to pick up and move forward, here in Rankin (and across the country) high school seniors are preparing to start their adult lives.  Something new looms on the horizon for them.  Their futures are bright, even as some people's futures have been taken from them.  Life goes on, and we must keep our eyes focused on the promises of God.  What better gift can we give both those young adults ready to set off in the world and the memory of those whose futures were snatched from them than the hope found in living a life for Jesus?  

If we are to honor the dead, we must advance the cause of the gospel.  If we are to prepare these students for their future, we must train them to take the gospel with them.  Yes, the question will remain "O God, Where art Thou?", but we will ask the question in terms of our proximity to God as we seek to trust in His promises and always walk close to Him. Only when we remain next to God in our daily life can we have peace when the world around us is crumbling.  Take heart, He has overcome the world!