I will never forget an exceptionally tough week our church family went through back in 1999 in which we lost two of our loved ones in just a matter of days. Even so, it is always easy to find others facing even worse difficulties.
A good friend and fellow minister faced an even greater challenge during that same week. Two young boys, ages 12 and 10, were alone in their home right across the street from his church office when they somehow had a mishap with a shotgun, fatally wounding the 10-year-old. Those families were suddenly confronted with a tragedy that threatened all happiness and faith.
What can we say in the face of such difficult events? Tragedy and suffering are undeniable realities of the world order in which we find ourselves. It seems good to me to openly acknowledge our revulsion at such suffering, and our common pain, as well as our common powerlessness to remove it from our existence. It is real and we are all in the midst of it together.
Heightening our frustration is the fact that its source is so elusive. We cannot give definite focus to our anger, though we often arbitrarily settle on various targets, God himself being the most likely target.
We are confused and frustrated, but this we know: tragedy is wrong. It should not be. This world where random tragedy is not preventable is not just. Innocent people get hurt, and too much is out of our control for us to do much to change that.
For me, the Bible’s contention that our God is at work on the removal of this order and the making of a new one is a contention I want to embrace. God plans to make all things right and just (read Revelation 21:1-5). God is for justice and against tragedy. That aligns him with our deepest desire. He is not against us, he is for us.
Of course, when we are caught up in tragedy (like the unnecessary death of a 10-year-old), we want to argue about God’s timing. Still, I’d rather have a good God I can’t understand than a bad God or no God at all, either of which would grant injustice the victory. No one who is upset about injustice wants it to reign supreme, do they? People who are angry want resolution, and well they should. They want justice. They want things to be made right. They want good news. And God gives it.
In short, the best answer we have to tragedy is that God will make all things right and that only he has the power to do so. Of course, this is a sheer faith contention, but reality clearly demonstrates that nobody else can do it. By faith, I trust that God will one day vanquish all pain, all suffering.