Luke Scallon
Pastor, Faith Baptist Church of Danville

Published in The Des Moines County News on May 12, 2016.

Why, God?

Do you ever find yourself thinking these words? They comprise a common question when tragedy strikes. In fact, this question itself is a major crossroads to faith in God – how could a God who is good and in control allow bad things to happen? Good question.

Many in our communities are probably revisiting that question after the recent tragic events. My heart and prayers go out for the two girls, and those most affected by the surrounding events. What do you do when you come to that serious crossroads in your faith? When you want to make sense of it, but there truly is no making sense of the wrong that has taken place? Do you run to God, or do you run away from God?

No two tragedies are alike; however, I think of a tragedy recorded in John 11, where Lazarus dies, and Jesus could have done something to prevent it. Unbelievable, right? His sisters plead with Jesus for help while Lazarus is sick, but Jesus is in no hurry to come and help. Jesus finally shows up after Lazarus is dead. This parallels how we feel in many tragedies – we pray and beg God to do something – because He’s the one who can – but disaster strikes anyway. Where was God? Why did he let that happen?

The Bible doesn’t tell us the emotions of his sisters, as each of them individually approached Jesus and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21, 32). I can imagine what I would have felt: devastated… abandoned… angry… bitter… I would have questions, like some asked: “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:37).

What about you? Do you feel outraged? Hopeless? Trampled on? Forgotten? You are not alone. This whole world is hurting. But God has not forgotten us. He offers hope! “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart” (Psalm 34:18). “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). That pain that is unbearable, that nothing can top? We cannot even begin to imagine the one thing that can top it, and that is God’s glory that brings healing and hope. He sacrificed his son, Jesus, to make that hope available to all.

It is very difficult to wrestle with tragedy and the emotions that follow it. How do we help our children do that? How do we help friends and family do that? We make that journey together, learning as we go, knowing there are some things we don’t understand, but God knows best. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).