Where is God When I am in Pain?
The rat-at-tats sound more ominous each time the footage is replayed on television. The sound makes pain flood the soul.
A lone gunman opened fire into a crowd gathered for a country music concert in Las Vegas late at night on Sunday October 1st. Since that time authorities have confirmed 59 deaths and over 500 injuries, making the incident the worst mass shooting in United States history.
The Vegas shooting surpassed the Pulse Night Club massacre in June of 2016 in Orlando, Florida that left 49 people dead.
While motives for the shooting in Vegas have been sketchy at best, the gunman appears to have acted alone, though 64-year old Stephen Paddock seems to have been traveling with a woman when he used his vantage point from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel to shoot down into the crowd. The truth is he was a sinful, broken person. And sinful, broken people do desperate, crazy things.
Faith Leaders Respond
Faith leaders responded quickly with tweets and statements, though many failed to address a dark, deep question emblazoned in the minds of many. “Where is God when all of these tragedies occur?” The Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crow, the general secretary of the United Methodist Churches, stated that “Christ calls us to be peacemakers, which is why – along with our prayers – me must work to end gun violence.” Beth Moore, author and Bible study leader tweeted, “In terrors of hell, let an increasingly disembodied Body of Christ be embodied again: warm skin to hold, serve & weep with the traumatized.”
Words from Sheila Walsh
Sheila Walsh placed a picture of Nevada’s city and its night lights on Instagram and wrote “Praying for all involved in the devastating shooting in Las Vegas. Hard to find words. Christ have mercy.” Franklin Graham took to Twitter to plead for believers to “Pray for the families of those killed and the 100+ wounded in a shooting rampage last night in Las Vegas.”
The Perspective of Lee Strobel
It was Lee Strobel who reprinted the text of a sermon preached just months ago in July. “Why Does God Allow Tragedy and Suffering?” On the heels of natural disaster hurricanes, a tragic shooting stirs no adequate words to describe the anguish and to lessen the pain of the heart. “Why? Why did God allow this?”
Strobel offers, “That ‘why’ question goes back thousands of years. It was asked in the Old Testament by Job and the writers of the Psalms, and it was especially relevant during the 20th century, where we witnessed two World Wars, the Holocaust, genocides in the Soviet Union and China, devastating famines in Africa, the killing fields of Cambodia, the emergence of AIDS, the genocide in Rwanda and the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo. And the 21st century didn’t start any better. There was 9/11 and now the Syrian slaughters, and on and on. Why all of this if there’s a loving and powerful God? Why do bad things happen to good people?”
Strobel continues, “If you ask me point-blank, “Why did God allow the gunman to spray the area with gunfire?” the only answer I can honestly give consists of four words: “I do not know.” I cannot stand in the shoes of God and give a complete answer to that question. I don’t have God’s mind. I don’t see with God’s eyes.”
Pain and Suffering are a Part of a Bigger Picture
Instead, let’s focus on the big, overarching issue of why God allows pain and suffering in our lives. Friends, this is important: Even though we can’t understand everything about it, we can understand some things. Here are a couple of points that can shed some light on our darkened paths.
“First, God is not the creator of evil and suffering. Whether moral evil – the suffering that results from sinful action or inaction – or natural evil – the things like earthquakes, tornadoes or hurricanes, God did not create evil and suffering. As one author put it, “When we humans told God to shove off, He partially honored our request. Nature began to revolt. The earth was cursed. Genetic breakdown and disease began. Pain and death became a part of the human experience.”
“Second, though suffering isn’t good, God can use it to accomplish good. He does this by fulfilling His promise in Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works together for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Notice the verse doesn’t say God causes evil, just that He promises to cause good to emerge. And notice the verse doesn’t say we all will see immediately what has happened. And notice that God doesn’t make this promise to everyone. He makes the solemn pledge that He will take the bad circumstances that befall us and cause good to emerge if we are committed to following Him.”
Our Prayers for Those in Pain
Ed Stetzer, who serves as the Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism, has written dozens of books on church growth. Stetzer makes clear that there are three things you can pray for as you process these news stories coming from Las Vegas. First, pray for the victims. “As was the case with Orlando, San Bernadino, Newton and others in recent memory, mass casualty attacks invariably leave a wake of destruction. In addition to feeling sadness, we are angry. Our anger is a reflection of how things are not right in this world.”
Second, pray for our civic leaders. In spite of our political differences, pray honestly and fervently for their wisdom in navigating treacherous roads ahead. Pray they make wise choices for the safety of others. Finally, pray for the Las Vegas churches. Pray that Las Vegas churches be ministers of the gospel in the midst of loss. The church is called upon to be a beacon of hope. The world has never needed a better reason to hope than right now.
Perhaps worship leader Louie Giglio said it best. “The Bible isn’t about me. The Bible is the story of God from beginning to end. Life is short. God is big.”
Bigger than a crazed gunman in Las Vegas. Bigger than the fiercest winds that a hurricane can pelt upon the earth. Bigger than any suffering and evil or pain we may ever endure.
