God’s Sovereignty in the Midst of Tragedy
2 “Jesus answered, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish’” (Luke 13:2-5).
How do we grapple with tragedy
Especially when multiple people died in it
How did God decide that all of them would die
On the same fateful day
At the same time
In the same way
Did God plan it
Did He allow it
Did He know it
Questions and doubts boggle our minds
When tragedy strikes
Why
Why God
Why them
Why in such a way
Why then
Why
How
How are You in charge
How could You have allowed it
Innocent people died
Good people perished
Lives not fully lived cut short
All in an instant
Abraham bargained with God over Sodom
Would God destroy a city with righteous people in it
How many righteous people would it take to make God
Relent from destroying completely
50?
45?
40?
30?
20?
10?
What is the magic number
How many righteous souls would it take
To avert disaster and judgment
Is every disaster a judgment from God
Do bad things not happen to good people
After all
It’s only fair that we get our just deserts
Isn’t that how life is supposed to work
We reap what we sow
The righteous reap righteousness
The wicked their doom
Every choice has its consequence we were told
God’s ways are higher than our ways
God’s ways can be very peculiar in our minds
Jesus refuted that when people died unjustly or in disasters
Is because of their sins
“But”
Jesus said
But unless we repent
We too will perish
God does not always answer our questions head on
We are not given a direct or concise answer
To our questions
Our quandaries
Our confusions
Our frustrations
Our grapplings
Our struggles
Our anger
But
But if we do not repent
But if we do not address our mea culpa
We too will perish
We too will die in our sins
Not necessarily in a disaster
We most likely will live to a ripe old age
But
But our souls will also perish
If we do not repent
If we do not take every opportunity to examine our own souls
Our
Expectations
Perspectives
Attitudes
Thoughts
Motives
Desires
Choices
Actions
Values
We have no control over the world
Over what happens to others
Over our life's circumstances
We are pitifully weak and frail
For we are but dust
From dust to dust we shall return
We exist but in a fleeting moment
In a flash
In our flesh
Weak and powerless
However
We have agency
We can choose
How we show up
The mindset we chose to adopt
The perspective we choose to take
The values we choose to embrace
The hope we choose to hold on to
All of these are opportunities for us
To know who we are
What we believe
What is dear to us
What stuff are we made of on the inside
Who do we believe in
In whom or what we place our trust and faith
In our weak and fleeting life
In systems that are fraught with problems and failures
In other weak and sinful people
Or in God
Knowing that He holds the future
Only God sees the end from the beginning
God knew every day before one day came into being
God promises to hold
Our hands
Our hearts
Our futures
God promises to give us hope and a future
God promises to
Be with us
Immanuel
God with us
In the midst of grief
In the midst of doubts
In the midst of tragedy
In the midst of our anger
In the midst of our loneliness
In the midst of our helplessness
In the midst of our powerlessness
God’s presence is what He promises
All the time
Every time
Turn
Turn to Him
Turn toward Him when you shout at Him
God can take our anger
He can take our doubts
God loves us still
In the middle of our tantrums
Go
Run
Confidently
Into the Throne Room of Grace
To receive mercy and find grace
In our times of need
In the midst of our
Confusion
Doubts
Anger
Rage
God says
Come
Come to me
Come all who are weary and heavy laden
Come into My arms
Come into My embrace
Come and let me comfort you
Come and let me strengthen you
Come and let me refresh and renew you
Come
And
BE...
