Last Sunday I made some references to why God did not intervene in the shooting tragedies at the Aurora, Colorado movie theater and at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Because any such explanations always ring hollow, I feel I must follow up on my inadequate statements in Sunday's sermon. I woke up Monday morning feeling as I always do when I address that subject-- that I have failed in my attempt to respond to a question that burns in each of us-- "Where is God when tragedy strikes?"
As I said Sunday, free will must be a part of the answer. God has given us a free will, I believe principally so we can use that free will to choose Him as He has chosen us. Love cannot be compelled. If we are to love God, then we must do so by free choice. If not, then we are mere robots and there is no real love at all. So important is that free will to the heart of God that He seldom intervenes to restrict it.
And yet, the above explanation rings hollow, especially when you personalize the tragedy and see it from the viewpoint of one of the victim's loved ones. In addition, this explanation is also inadequate when you consider the fact that sometimes, God does intervene. This fact begs another question-- "Why does God sometimes intervene to prevent tragedy, but most times not?"
In the end, I must join Jim Denison's expression of his own frustration with the subject. In addressing the loss of 232 people in a night club fire in Brazil over the weekend, Denison said this--
"While the free-will approach obviously has merit, doesn't it feel inadequate this morning? If one of our sons had died in the blaze, I wouldn't derive much comfort from a theology that claims God couldn't do anything to prevent the tragedy. King Darius misused his freedom by sending Daniel to the lions' den, but God intervened miraculously by protecting the prophet (Daniel 6). Herod misused his freedom in imprisoning Peter, but God intervened miraculously by sending his angel to free the apostle (Acts 12:1-10). If them, why not the students in Brazil?
Here's the bottom line: I don't know. I understand why God must give us freedom so we can love him and each other (Matthew22:37, 39), and why he must therefore allow us to misuse this gift. I understand that the consequences of such choices are not his fault. But I don't understand why he sometimes intervenes and sometimes doesn't. . . . Here's what I do know: God redeems all he allows, in ways we can see and in ways we will not understand until we are in heaven (1 Corinthians13:12). I know that he sustains all who seek him in the darkest nights and hardest days (Isaiah 43:1-3). And I know that God is grieving the death of every student in the Brazilian tragedy. President Dilma Rousseff cried in front of reporters as she said, "This is a tragedy for all of us." Our Father agrees."
In the end, this puzzling question calls for a huge amount of trust in God's sovereignty. We must acknowledge that God is infinite, and therefore I cannot possibly understand all His ways with my finite mind. I have learned that God is worthy to be trusted, that He never acts unjustly, even when it seems so in my limited understanding, and His love is unbounding, even when the way He expresses it appears to have failed. God doesn't need me to defend His ways, but it is okay to ask questions-- especially when we are seeking to know Him more fully. When tragedy strikes, God is there, grieving the loss and ready to offer love and healing. We must be ready to join Him in that ministry.
Blessings,
Paul
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