Where is God when tragedy strikes?

Something deep within our souls tells us this is wrong. Parents should not have to bury their children. Infants should not struggle for their lives. Mothers should not be taken away from their children. Toddlers should not have to battle cancer. These things cause pain because deep within us we know that this is not the way that things were meant to be. We feel the "lostness" of the situation and it grieves us.

Beloved, we live in a broken world, but this is not the way things were meant to be. God is not the source of these heartaches - the enemy is.

Jesus said that "The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10).

Later, the apostle Peter describes our enemy as a roaring lion "seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8). 

His aim is to cause us to doubt the goodness of God. This is not a new scheme. He's been at it since the beginning of time. He was able to tempt Adam and Eve by leading them to question whether or not God was really looking out for their best interests. 

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-5)

Precious ones, it's hard to understand why tragedies happen. There is no easy explanation or cliche answer you can give to take away the heartache and pain. We live in a broken world full of sickness, pain, and death. Unfortunately, as a result of the fall, we do know both good and evil. . . and it's the evil that's in this world that breaks our hearts. 

There is comfort in knowing that God is a God of justice, and that one day, each person will give an account before God for their actions. Even those who seem to escape justice in this lifetime will not escape His justice. The enemy has free reign of this world for the time being, but his time is running out.  

God hears the cries of the brokenhearted. The book of Revelation states that one day, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4

It grieves my heart to see the seemingly senseless suffering in the world around me, but I'm reminded that this broken world is not my home. God has a rescue plan to restore the brokenhearted, to bring beauty from ashes and the oil of gladness to those who mourn, a spirit of praise instead of despair.

Where is God when tragedy strikes? I assure you, He is there in their midst, providing comfort and strength to those left behind, redeeming what the enemy intended for destruction.

One day things will be as they were always meant to be. Death will be destroyed. There will be no more suffering or pain. Until then, we pray -asking our God of mercy and peace to fill hearts and minds with a sense of his presence, to bring healing to bodies and minds, and for his kingdom to come, on earth as it is in heaven.