Trusting God in Tragedy

Psalms 9:7-10

The Lord reigns forever,he has established His throne for judgement.

He will judge the world in righteousness,

He will govern the peoples with justice.

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,

A stronghold in times of trouble.

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord,

have  never forsaken those who seek you.

I had barely settled down  in my office on Monday last week (10th November) when one of my colleagues asked if I had heard that a certain motivational preacher had died. I walked over to him to find out who it was. He was online and there on his computer was the breaking news Dr. Myles Munroe and his wife had been killed in a plane crash on Sunday. A number of their ministry team and the crew also died this includes their youth pastor, his wife,son ad unborn child. I was shocked to say the least. I have never met Dr. Munroe in person but over the years I have been blessed by his books and  messages  on TV so it felt like I knew him. I was saddened at the great loss not just to the body of Christ but the world given the nature  and impact of his ministry. We were still coming to terms with the tragic loss of Dr. Munroe and his team when a crazy demonized terrorist walked into the assembly of a school in Yobe State and detonated a bomb killing himself and about 58 innocent children and injuring many. The town of Mubi had been attacked a few days earlier and residents murdered in cold blood. Before the week ended 2 other suicide bombers killed themselves and others.Then other towns or villages were attacked  by Boko Haram.  All these tragic events within a week!

The nagging question is 'Where is God in all of this and why does He allow so much pain and tragedy? Why should a man like Myles Munroe who dedicated his life to preaching and teaching God's word and who tried to make the world a better place be killed so suddenly and so tragically.  What of the children that went to school that morning and ended up dying so tragically. I think of their parents, those in hospitals battling for their lives and those who  lost limbs.etc. I think of Dr. Munroe's children, family, friends and church and how much grief they are experiencing. My intention is not to paint a gloomy picture and make us feel sad and downcast. Rather to remind us that tragedies are real and they come to one and all at some time in this journey of life. When it comes it is devastating and life altering.

The fact that we are Christians or 'good' doesn't exempt us from tragedy. A look through the Bible will reveal that many who walked with God experienced tragedies and loss. Death is an all time enemy of man. whether it comes early or late in the lives of our loved ones or  if it comes  through accidents, crashes sickness or just cold blood murder it hurts deeply and we regard it as tragic. Worse still the perpetrators of such evil like the bomb attacks seem to go unpunished and they carry out such acts with wanton impunity. This can lead to much pain, anger and bitterness. It brings to mind questions  about life,death , God, faith and trust. Many are tempted to ask if God is still in control and if He is worth trusting. 

Today's scripture offers comfort for times when life doesn't make sense. It assures us that God is a refuge and a stronghold in times of trouble.  It says those of us who know him should TRUST Him. Why? Because he has never and will ever forsake those who seek him. To a heart that is broken and grieving this may sound like just talk or religion but it is the truth. Nothing takes God unawares and He loves us and is in control regardless of what life throws at us. He is mindful of our pain and is touched by it.While we may not understand all the evil we see we can trust a just and perfect God to bring us through the tragedies of life including the loss of loved ones. He will  restore us and give us a reason to go on.  Psalm 73 is a good example of the fact that God is mindful of evil and will judge all of it. 

The Bible encourages not to mourn as those without hope this is because death  is not the end. For those who die in Christ they have only gained heaven. Apostle Paul says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Yes the separation is painful but it's not forever we will spend eternity together.  Myles Munroe's son in addressing press conference said death is not final for Christians  and though they grieve they are not hopeless because they know their parents and  the others are with the Lord.  What a glorious hope! Oftentimes we see only the present but  God sees the big picture. Our lives on earth now are less than a fragments of what they will be in eternity. The beauty is that it will be free of death , evil, sorrow and tragedy! Life is a gift that has a time frame attached to it but eternity is endless.

 I can assure you that God is worth trusting in tragedy.  When my husband died so suddenly I thought my life had ended. Today God has brought me a long way.  His work in all areas of my life is amazing. I never thought I would be joyful or life would have meaning but God has done that and more. I admit there  are days I just long for my husband and i still miss him so much.  Other times i struggle with the pain of losing him. But God has been faithful and i have determined to live life to the max doing what God left me here to do so i keep pressing more into God and moving on with life. According to Myles Munroe the greatest tragedy of life is not death but a lack of vision. God is saying something to you even though you have experienced tragedy don't let the vision in your heart die. Everyday you live is for a purpose. If you allow God help you He will use you to walk with others through tragedy  and what a blessing it will be for you and them. God never ends on a negative He always ends on a positive. Look up with hope He sees,He knows,He cares and He brings treasures ad triumph from every tragedy.