Help in the Midst of Tragedy

God gives us revelation more than explanation.

Life is full of unexpected suffering and loss. The daily news recounts stories of loss from natural disasters - earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires. People fill social media with posts about job loss, sickness, and family struggles. Every year, every month, every day, our world faces tragedy - both natural and man-made. Our hearts ache from the emotional pain we experience, and we feel empathy for the suffering of others. Our minds struggle to hold everything together in a way that makes sense of it all. For those of us who believe in God, nothing rattles our faith quite like the evil and pain of this world. John Stott says it well in his book The Cross of Christ (pg 303):

The fact of suffering undoubtedly constitutes the single greatest challenge to the Christian faith, and has been in every generation. Its distribution and degree appear to be entirely random and therefore unfair. Sensitive spirits ask if it can possibly be reconciled with God’s justice and love.

Everyone asks the “WHY” question in the midst of tragedy. Why is this happening to me? If God is good and omnipotent, why doesn’t He stop this? To be fair, the reality of suffering is not just a problem for Christianity - it’s a problem for every worldview (religious or non-religious). Tragedy occurs to everyone in life, so we all have to figure out how to understand it, respond to it, and find meaning and purpose. I am grateful that the Bible speaks clearly and honestly about suffering. It is “eyes wide open” to the reality of the world we live in.

At the same time, it doesn’t answer our questions the way we find satisfactory at first. God doesn’t give an explanation for our individual suffering or loss. He doesn’t tell us why one specific occurrence of suffering happened. Instead, God provides three important responses to our suffering. He gives us a perspective on how to think about suffering, a person to trust in the midst of suffering, and a promise of hope after suffering. I can’t think of a more important topic for Christians today. We all need a robust biblical theology of suffering.

Let’s take time to explore each of God’s revelations to us in detail…