Where Was God?

Running life's race

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

In the aftermath of tragedy, people often ask: Where was God?

Though usually posed by non-believers, people of faith also struggle with this question and others like it in the wake of horror.

Why does God allow children to be maimed and killed? Why does God allow evil to destroy or ruin innocent lives?

I’ve blogged about this many times during the past year after mass killings in this country. And each time, I explain the simple answer—we live in a fallen world tainted by sin. When Jesus returns, evil will be destroyed forever.

But we struggle with the complexity of how good and evil plays out in our daily lives. God never intended for us to struggle, but since we’re not puppets, every individual has choices to make. As long as we’re on this earth, we have to live with the consequences of each other’s choices, sometimes on the periphery of our lives, sometimes taking the full brunt of another’s decision.

God doesn’t typically stop a tornado or car accident or terrorists from blowing up people. Yes, we’ve all heard of miraculous escapes from disasters. And God performs miracles through healing and divine intervention. That’s part of the importance of prayer. But it’s not ours to try to decipher why or when He chooses to intervene (Romans 11:34).

God shapes His people through adversity so we may minister to others with our God-given talents, instincts, and life experiences. After all, believers can’t minister effectively if we’re allowed to live in utopia amidst others’ heartbreak. So, as the Bible says, the rain falls on the just and the unjust.  

I’m the type person who likes to read between the lines, connect the dots, and look at the big picture. Cliché, I know. J But as a writer, my mind works this way. And this is usually how I find God’s presence in the midst of tragedy. This week has been no different.

As stories from the Boston bombings surfaced from and about witnesses, first responders, and victims, a bigger picture emerged. Though three people died almost instantly at the scene and later a police officer killed, it was the response of ordinary people that kept the death toll low. Despite massive and horrific injuries, 180 people survived. I’m pretty sure the extraordinary response by ordinary people was not something the terrorists factored into their plot when considering how much carnage they could perpetrate on Boston and ultimately the psyche of America.

One of the first stories to emerge was about the “man in the cowboy hat,” Carlos Arredondo, and his rescue of Jeff Bauman whose legs had been blown off. Carlos ran toward the blast and fashioned tourniquets from T-shirts to stop the bleeding. He helped emergency responders get Jeff into a wheelchair then into an ambulance. Surgeons later said this quick response saved Jeff’s life. He would have bled to death otherwise.

Carlos’ own story is one of tragedy. One son killed in Iraq. His subsequent suicide attempt in the Marines van that delivered the news. The suicide of his other son two years later. Somehow Carlos overcame and devotes his time to the memory of his sons. He was at the marathon handing out American flags in honor of his sons and in support of a charity. He remarked later he wasn’t a hero. He’d only helped one person. Others had helped more.

No doubt Jeff Bauman felt Carlos’ efforts were heroic.

The story didn’t stop there. Jeff’s survival was instrumental in identifying the terrorists. He watched one of them set down the backpack carrying the bomb moments before it exploded. When Jeff awoke from surgery, still ventilated and unable to talk, he insisted on a paper and pencil. He wrote a description of the suspect which helped the FBI identify the two terrorists among the many hours of video taken Monday.

Many heroes emerged that day. But back to my original question: Where was God?

Though God didn’t stop the terrorist attack, in the middle of the horror...

Carlos heeded his God-given instinct and rushed into the chaos to save Jeff. The terrorists were identified quickly because Jeff survived, which was instrumental in stopping additional bombings.

Boston residents opened their homes to strangers. Restaurants gave away free food.  Trauma surgeon and war veteran, Dr. David King, ran the marathon then went to Massachusetts General Hospital and spent the next forty hours operating on victims. Countless responders, some untrained civilians, rushed toward evil to lessen the effects. They didn’t consciously think it at the time, but they represented good defeating evil.

And that’s basically what life comes down to on this earth.

Christ said, “Whoever is not with me is against me” (Luke 11:23a). That sums up this world’s condition perfectly. Evil prowls around like a lion, but God’s spirit is greater. This will be proven time and again when tragedy strikes, but ultimately when Jesus returns and His kingdom is established, evil will be destroyed forever (Revelation 1:18).

One of my favorite quotes this week was from Mr. Fred Rogers from advice his mother gave him when disaster struck during his childhood: “Look for the helpers.”

God was in Boston last Monday offering comfort in the chaos and leading ordinary people to do extraordinary things. No matter what evil lurks in this world, God always provides helpers. He also provides spiritual comfort to those who seek Him. 

God’s in the big picture, and He’s in the tiniest details. Never doubt this.

Our worship song this week is performed by Christian singer-songwriter Laura Story whose husband has battled brain cancer for years.

What does it look like when I spend years praying for healing for my husband that never comes? I feel like we’ve gotten to a place of having to make a choice—are we going to judge God based on our circumstances that we don’t understand? Or are we going to choose to judge our circumstances based on what we hold to be true of God? I’m learning that every morning when I wake up, to choose to trust God. And that’s what “blessings” is about. It’s just considering… MAYBE THE BLESSING IS ACTUALLY FOUND IN THE ABSENCE OF THE THING THAT I’M PRAYING FOR. ~Laura Story

Prayer request this week for Tony, diagnosed with an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Please keep him in your prayers as he seeks to minimize his health risk factors with this diagnosis.

Pray for the town of West, Texas, as they continue to recover after a fertilizer factory explosion. Nine firefighters and emergency responders were among the fifteen dead, which represented one-third of the town’s volunteer force.

If you have a prayer need, please share it in the comments or e-mail me confidential requests. Our prayer list is located at the top of the blog along with info on Sgt. Jesse McCart, an American soldier injured by an IED in Afghanistan. Would you take a few moments to pray for these folks? Thanks!

Shalom,

Laura ✞

©Laura Hodges Poole

When The Unexpected Happens

Dealing with the unexpected

“Sometimes, when tragedy strikes, people give up hope that they can expect anything more from life, when the real quest is finding out what life expects from them.” ― Richard Paul Evans, author

When I started writing this post, it was about blessings gained from unexpected experiences. I had a cute little story to use for an illustration. Given the events last week in Colorado, I felt remiss in discussing blessings amidst tragedy. I wrestled with what to write, but nothing worked. However, I was resistant to the idea of writing solely about the tragedy because everyone else already had. What more could I add? 

As I prayed about my conundrum, I realized I wasn’t just wrestling with my own sense of what to write. Rather, I wasn’t fully opening my mind and heart to God’s desire for the post. 

Wrestling with God is senseless. When I realized what I’d been doing, I yielded. And if I haven’t said it a million times before, that’s one reason for prayer—for Him to speak to you. 

After a major tragedy has occurred, the first question that comes to mind is: Why? 

It would take several hundred words to sum up my beliefs and thoughts on this—or it could be answered simply: We live in a fallen world, and as such, our perfect life will be in heaven, not here. I’ve blogged about this several times, as well.

God isn’t caught unaware when tragedy strikes. Nor is tragedy unique within our borders. The sixty seconds it’s taken you to read this, tragedy has unfolded somewhere on this earth. Women and children have been caught in the crossfire of war. Civil war rages in Syria as the world tsk-tsks and mulls solutions, while hundreds are killed daily. A loved one has received a cancer diagnosis, died, or has been in an accident. 

Christians are imprisoned worldwide, some under death sentences. According to Christianity.about.com, “an average of 159,960 Christians worldwide are martyred for their faith per year.” 

So where is faith in the midst of tragedy? 

Claiming faith is easy when life goes well. When tragedy strikes, whether in our personal lives or on a national scale, it’s much more difficult to trust God’s plan.

Faith alone will not provide you with all the answers—nor was it designed to. Faith is like jumping off a cliff and discovering things about yourself and the God you trust in the freefall. But it is also the solid foundation on which you build your Christian life. Without it, you don't fully appreciate the blessings, nor stand firm in adversity.

Is there hope after devastation? 

That’s a tough one to answer, and it often takes long-term reflection to see any blessing or feel hope. However, I read the story this week of a young lady in the movie theater in Colorado who was shot four times, once in the face with the bullet traveling through her brain and lodging in the base of her skull. The team of neurosurgeons who went into the operation to retrieve the bullet gave the family little hope. The bullet had weaved through so many places in her brain, even if she survived, her function would be greatly diminished. Then a miracle happened in the operating room…If you’d like to read the story, click here. 

Being able to depend on God’s love and comfort in the face of tragedy is reassuring. 

“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2

As the opening quote infers, maybe discovering the why of the unexpected is not important—rather what am I going to do with the experience? What does my life represent in tragedy’s aftermath? I believe part of the answer is to look beyond ourselves and our country’s shores and look at the world through God’s eyes and with His love.

As we go to the Lord in prayer, please remember these folks in your prayers. Add your own requests in the comments below or email me confidential requests.  

·      TC Avey asks that you continue to pray for her father-in-law whose cancer has spread. He is about to start another long round of chemo. A few years back he and his wife adopted three girls (this after raising three kids already). Two of the girls have graduated high school, but the third is only 5 years old.

·       Betty requests prayer for Zackary Taylor, age 10, whom she learned about through the Tim Tebow foundation. Zackary has four brain tumors and is suffering from horrible headches. Please pray for his healing and comfort, as well as his family during this difficult time.

·       Karen Redding with leukemia in hospice care.

·      Courtney, young mother with cancerous brain tumor undergoing chemotherapy, received a fantastic report last week on her treatment and follow-up MRI. Click here to read her praise report.

·      Several folks have employment, housing, and mental health issues.

One of my favorite songs is “Give Me Your Eyes” by Brandon Health. I pray we all strive to see the world through our Savior’s eyes.

God bless,

Laura

© Laura Hodges Poole