"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love" ( Romans 8:38)
During the last Christmas festival season there was a tragic accident that took the lives of three young people, in Uganda!When such things happen not only do they shake the faith of many but some do wonder how a loving God could let such a senseless accident snap so promising lives. Though no amount of explanation can take away the pain and loss felt there is a need to throw light on some of these incidents and why they happen.
The one thing we ought all realise is that we live on fallen ground. For Adams's sin led to "Cursed is the ground for your sake" ( Gen 3:17), which is to say, paradise is not here on earth until the return of Christ. In spite of all attempts by man to create a wonderland here there will always be diseases, pestilences, epidemics, floods, earthquakes, accidents and death! Though through better management practices we can reduce some of these, fate and tragedies are the reality of life on earth. For as the old song goes, "this world is not my home"!
On the other hand believers have the comfort of knowing that their stay on earth is temporaral. In spite of all the tribulations on earth we have a better home awaiting for each one of us in heaven with Christ!
Secondly, whenever tragedies as these happen, we have a God who empathises with our sorrow. "This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin" ( Hebrews 4:15). When Jesus arrived at the tomb of Lazurus, "Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said ( John 11:38-9). Here we see that God felt the pain and anguish of Lazurus's family, so much that he cried for Lazurus to raise him from the dead.
Thirdly, as we grieve the loss of such promising lives, it is also a moment to reflect on how God protects any of us daily. This accident was apparently caused by a trailer that lost breaks. But how many times have we also been on highways and God protected us from reckless drivers mounting vehicles that could run into us from nowhere, whatever precautions we may have taken. Sad as this incident is, still we need to thank God for protection, as there is a lot out there beyond our control.
And finally, very often God uses tragic events to bring us not only closer to Him but also good can come out of even something as senseless as this. Maybe it is time to press for better road safety measures which incidentally one of the victims had once written about. Perhaps we all can urge for better emergency services in our hospitals that can save lives before it is too late. Much as we mourn lost lives there is something left in our power to do good.
Prayer today: Lord Father God; of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, just as you empathized with Martha and Mary upon loss of their brother Lazurus, we pray for strength and comfort for the affected, and that with time and your grace you heal the pain and bring meaning to what we cannot presently fully understand, for your glory!
