Isaiah 23.3 You
will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust
in you. – St. Isaiah, the prophet
Yesterday, in our little town, a 7-year old child was killed in a
tragic traffic accident. As a community, we are in shock – how could one so young be taken so soon!? But he was.
I think about those who witnessed the accident. I think
about leaders and mentors who saw it all. I think about the law enforcement
personnel and EMT’s who were first responders. I think about the counselors and
pastors, who reached out to comfort and console. I think about the verse in
Matthew:
“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and
great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children and refusing
to be comforted,
because they are no more.” (Matthew
2.18)
I think about a mom, a dad, and grandparents, and aunts
and uncles refusing to be comforted – someone precious to them is no more.
Cathy and I prayed for those involved at all levels and
we prayed for God’s comfort and consolation. And we prayed in frustration for
what seems to be a senseless tragedy of one taken who, in our eyes, didn’t seem
to deserve it.
And then, I thought about God. And I thought: we’re all going to die at some point and the
moment for all of us is fixed in some divine calendar. Some are born to
live long, long lives. Others are born to last for a few minutes. And some are
born for tragedy. But all of us are going to die at some point.
Our frustration is we have no control over the when. And that is why the need for God
and the great need for trusting in God: You,
God, will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfastly set on You,
because they trust in You… no matter what. That doesn’t erase human pain,
nor does it explain the inexplicable. But it puts God in His rightful place: The
One through Whom, and for Whom, all things are.
We tend to forget that when tragedy strikes.
Personally, I know the anguish of a child. I know this
morning there is hurt and, perhaps anger beyond comprehension in those, “close
to home”: the family of the child whose life was lost: a mom, a dad, siblings,
relatives. But I know that the child was given a life that was only going to
last so long, and then he was going to die. That is a harsh reality for all of
us who seem to want to control the outcome… we never can – we never will.
But the stark reality is also this: we can learn to trust God in all things. This isn’t the first child
to die, nor will it be the last. But God is God over all circumstances and
despite our suffering, He can be trusted.
It may not soften the blow, but it does give us a place
to land when we’ve been hit.
My prayer is this tragedy will bring us together as
people to remember how much we need God and how much we need each other –
because the time for all of us, young and old, is limited…
No comments:
Post a Comment