Seven-Day Practical Faith Blog: Finding God in the Midst of Tragedy

Flooding near Kerrville in the Hill Country of Texas

In recent days, I've seen commentary from pastors and laity alike on the nature of God. They are wrestling with the stark nature of the tragic Hill Country flooding in Texas while also asserting their beliefs that God is indeed a good God.

I don't delve into theology much in this blog and won't go very far today. The age-old question is two-fold: Is God powerful enough to prevent tragedy? And if so, why does God not use that power to avoid human suffering? Some people say that upon this two-fold question hinges the very existence of God.

As you can imagine, all kinds of theological angles are possible, including a new one (to me) that God has intentionally restricted almighty power so that we have free will. This view holds that God can't prevent suffering because it would go against God's nature of loving us enough so we can make choices.

I am sure this tragedy will not settle the theological questions. My two cents is that I don't believe that we see suffering the way that God views suffering.

If there are lines in heaven for questions to ask God, I would go first to the line that asks, "What was suffering all about?" Perhaps suffering is simply the fallout of a fallen world. Perhaps suffering has some greater meaning or preparation that we don't comprehend until the next life. Perhaps suffering, as Jesus once put it, was not because of human fault or blame but because God would be glorified through it.

None of those are comfortable answers to present to a family grieving the loss of a loved one or of their home. So, how do we go forward in practicing our daily faith in the grip of destruction?

Maybe the Apostle Paul was onto something when he wrote in Romans 5:3-5:

We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Suffering places us on the staircase of hope. Hope is one of our greatest resources. Hope leads us to the desire and dream of better life and eternal life. Hope brings us closer to God.

Courtney Dailey joined me a few months ago on the Practical Faith Academy podcast, sharing the amazing, even miraculous "God stories" that have emerged from her eastern Tennessee community's recovery from Hurricane Helene. Courtney posted a video this week about the Texas flooding, wrestled a bit with theological questions, and concluded:

We just have to pray that God shows up for all of these folks in Texas the same way that he showed up for us, bringing not just restoration of our community physically with the materials, building supplies, and things, but the revival that we saw and peace that only God can bring.

So, my prayer for the Hill Country, the land of my childhood, is that everyone impacted will experience hope. And through their hope, they will receive God's restoration and peace. For God does not leave us in the suffering state, for whatever reason such suffering occurs in the first place. God is sure to heal, often in this life, and always in the next.