“[God] will wipe every tear from [our] eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Rev. 21:4

As I continue my study of the Book of Revelation, the character of God calls out to me. In my life, I never felt that the death of my husband and our three young children was part of ‘God’s plan’. When people would ask me if I was “mad” at God, I always said that ,”God did not cause the accident that killed my family. God is the loving Father who picked up the pieces of my life and knit them back together.” 

I never found myself “mad” at God. There were a few people who came into my life and without even knowing me tried to place the blame in God’s lap – and mine – by telling me that the accident was God’s revenge for my sins. I refuse to believe that a God who collects my tears, and promises to right the wrongs of my life, would find honor in ordaining childhood cancers, food shortages, school shootings, or devastating car crashes. The one true God calms the sea. He doesn’t whip up evil and chaos to levels of frenzy. 

I am all for lamenting and crying out to God, “why, why, why, Lord.” But my heart breaks for those who turn their backs on God when tragedy strikes. I want those people to have my peace, my hope, and the strength I find in God. In their grief, I want them to understand that ours is a God of love, peace and healing, God doesn’t seek out ways to trip us up. He doesn’t allow bad things to happen to teach us a lesson.

The answer to our question, “why” is that there is no answer in the here and now. We can talk about this being Satan’s world, and man using his free will for evil, but the truth is that there is no simple explanation to the why of human suffering. Jesus didn’t promise an explanation for every tragedy we face. He didn’t promise to take away the sorrows of today. He promised to be with us through them. He promised to lighten our load by faithfully bearing our crosses with us. The question is, do we partner with God and accept His help, peace, and rest, or do we blame Him as we walk away and follow our own path of alienation and misery. It’s our choice. Can Jesus Christ Himself be enough for you today?