Faith in the Face of Tragedy

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When tragedy strikes, our natural defenses tend to kick in and we start to question our foundations.  We question God’s sovereignty, His grace, we question His mercy, and we even doubt His love.  With the Sandy Hook Massacre behind us, and as we look towards the future, we continue to question God’s purpose, His presence, and His nonexistent intervention.

It was a bright and sunny December 14.  Kids were filing into classrooms and getting settled in, excited for what the weekend might hold.  Out of the blue, the PA system turns on and gunshots, shouts, and cries float out.  Teachers scramble to hide their children from a seeming invisible gunman.  Twenty-six women and children were killed that day, but many more lives were changed.

Weeks after the second largest school massacre in US history, we continue to question the Lord’s presence.  The problem is, though, that He was asked to leave a while ago.  When people request Christ is taken out of schools, He will leave, but don’t anger over the fact that He wasn’t kicked out of schools.  I believe that He did show up that day of unthinkable tragedy.  He showed up in the hearts of teachers who laid down their life for their students.  He showed up in the minds of the first responders who ran onto the scene, not knowing if the steps they were taking would be their last.  He showed up in the hearts of parents who franticly searched for their babies.  And He showed up in the lives of those in Newtown, the ones mourning a great loss.

Another controversy that this brings up is God’s will.  People are constantly using this as an excuse to “show that God is not loving”.  But do we truly understand what God’s will means?  God’s will doesn’t mean that God wanted Adam Lanza to murder 26 people; it doesn’t mean that it was a good thing, or even right.  But God’s will means that God will use it.  That even though Adam Lanza meant it for evil, God meant it for good.  God will use this grief to bring praise and glory to Him, and to ultimately further His kingdom.  Just because we don’t see the change in our life doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. 

So as we ponder all of the possible questions, we need to remember one thing, to pray.  To pray for the families of those first graders, to pray for the students at Sandy Hook, to pray for the people of Newtown, to pray for the Lanza family.  Pray for God’s grace and love to cover them, and for them to find peace in this time of pain.  And be thankful for those who you can hug right now, because you never know what the future may hold.