Dear God: Facing Tragedy

Last updated on: May 20, 2013 at 10:32 pm by John Mark N. Reynolds

Dear God: Facing Tragedy 2013-05-20T22:32:09-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

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Somebody someplace will use the tragedy in Oklahoma to make a philosophical point.

Somebody someplace will repeat slogans.

Those of us who love God will cry out to Him in our pain for friends and hurting people.

We know God exists. We know He is good and we know everyone will die.

But we hate this death, at this time, for these people. No death is natural, not the way You intended things to be, every death is natural, the way things must be given the world as it is.

Still when the young die, I choke on words, because mostly feelings swallow up my words.

Some people ask “Why?” or “How?” but I ask only “How long, O Lord, how long?”

Humans have cursed nature and God you alone know if one of our many proud actions, we are so dominate over nature with so little comprehension, played a part!

We are sinful, You alone know what part our sins have played in tragedy.

You would deliver the innocent from the pains and temptations of this life, sweet sins so attractive that we cling to them, so you alone know what part virtue has played in the dying.

All of history works to an end, the best end, the divine end and this interaction is so complex, where one action impacts every other, that nobody but a fool would dare to understand.

But how long?

How long until we can lay down the burden of this mortality and be fully transformed? How long until you come and finally rectify all of history and all our pain? How long until the backward redemption of time from the glorification at the end of time all the way back through creation purges the pain and gives it meaning?

How long, Lord, how long?

And yet, You are there. You comforted martyrs in Soviet camps. You comfort slaves in Chinese prisons. You comfort all the suffering who see You, because when we see You we see Love. Love. We know that we cannot capture the detailed reasons for what happens, but we can know Your divine Nature.

Your nature is Good. You are love and if I can stop my moaning and look for You, if You come, then there is still pain, sorrow, and crying, but there is also You. Your goodness stands as a guarantee that a thing we rationally know could be true is true: there is a meaning and purpose to it all and that purpose is good.

Answers are given to questions, but only a person can hold us in our pain. Only a divine Person can ground the happiness and the sadness. We could pretend that suffering has no meaning, but our natures, even when we claim to hate You, cry against it. Jesus, suffering God-Man, take this suffering too. Redeem it in time and give it meaning. Bring good of evil.

We know you can, not because we understand the details, what Your purpose might be, but because we know You.

And so in the night, I cry to You for all the hurting people of Oklahoma: Have mercy! Come quickly Lord Jesus!

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