His Presence and Not Answers

In the light of the tragedy that had happened, there are no words to describe the depth of how terrible, shocking, and heart-breaking the Aurora Colorado massacre was.  I refuse to act oblivious to it on this blog because it's been on my mind, and needless to say, constantly on the news.  One can't help but feel the reality of the sorrow for those who have passed and for their loved ones, and "to weep with those who weep."

Sometimes, we come to ask, "If God was real, why do bad things happen to good people?"  Despite of the beauty that we love to behold that I believe profess the reality and majesty of the Lord, we are also well aware that there are very horrible and twisted things in this world that cause us strife and suffering.  I know that terrible things are made or suggested by the devil, but as to why God allows them to happen, I don't always know the reason or have an explanation.  Similarly, why did God allow suffering in the life of his faithful servant Job or the ugly death of His Son Jesus?  Sometimes, although it is somewhat truthful to say that "all things happen for a reason," it is quite insensitive to even mention this in the freshness of the wounds.

Dr. Robert Peterson writes:

"When we encounter suffering, something inside us often cries out: "This is wrong! The world should not be like this! Children should not be abused, senior adults should not get Alzheimer's, missionaries should not be tortured!" Or on a more personal level, we might protest: "Why me? What did I do to deserve this?" Such instincts are valid because they recognize that this world is not the way it is supposed to be. We know this when we consider sin; we know to hate rape, murder, bigotry, and child abuse. We oppose sin and refuse to be at ease with it. In the same way, we are not to be comfortable with the reality of suffering (although we are to be at peace with God in the midst of it) and should do our best to alleviate it. Like sin, suffering is an intruder and cannot be welcomed as natural. The horror of suffering's intrusion points to the horror of sin, its fundamental source."

But although I, or anyone else, attempt at giving an answer to these questions, I don't think that the answers will suffice to comfort aching hearts.  Even God did not answer Job's questions.  In the end of their whirlwind discussion, Job came to the realization that it's only God's presence that would suffice to bring peace to his troubled heart and mind, not the answers.  "I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes" (Job 42:5).

Even in the midst of suffering, I really see the reality and the presence of God.  I see Him in the nation that has come together to sympathize and support those who mourn, in communities that build each other up in love, and in the individual who comes to the understanding that hope remains and he can face tomorrow because God will be with him through it.

Text:

Scripture taken from the New Living Translation (NLT) from biblegateway.com. 

Images:

Stormy sea

Dandelion