We Don't Know, but We Do

When tragedies like the earthquake in Haiti strike, we invariably deal with the same questions about why God would allow such a thing, is He really sovereign, is He really good, and so on. When there is nothing traumatic going, we settle for some understanding that of course, God is good and sovereign. Then tragedy strikes, and we re-ask the questions - apparently the answers that come when things are going well do not really satisfy us. We wrestle with the questions, then the angst dies down over time, but as soon as the next tragedy strikes, we ask those same questions yet again.

It seems like we can never find an answer that satisfies us enough to carry us through in the midst of trauma.

And apparently, we won't be satisfied until we know why these things happen in God's universe. Are we destined to re-ask and re-ask these questions without end and without satisfaction?

This dissatisfaction can lead to two opposite reactions: On the one hand, we can develop a growing skepticism about God. On the other hand, we can presume to know God's purpose and declare it with false confidence, despite the lack of any direct knowledge. (I believe Pat Robertson fell into this trap in the past week when he declared the cause of the earthquake to be a supposed pact Haiti had made with the devil - accurate or inaccurate, he has no way of knowing this to the degree that he proclaimed it to be true. Plus his gaping lack of genuine compassion was very unlike Christ. Besides, how an entire country could make a pact with the devil is beyond me.)

Can we find an answer that will satisfy us?

I make the following observations:

• The man Job, who suffered such tremendous personal tragedy, never got an explanation as to why he had suffered so much. And yet, he found himself clinging ever tighter to God (Job 42:1-6).
• In God's speeches to Job (Job 38-41), God basically shows Job that God, being God, does not need to check His reasons with us before acting. But also, being God, everything He does is good, even the things that are hidden from our counsel.
• God never promised us that He'd explain everything to us here. He promised us that He is working all things together toward His great and good purposes for His children (Rom 8:28).
• We don't know always why God allows tragedies to occur, but we do know how He wants us to respond to them. He wants us to aid the afflicted, even at personal cost. He wants us to share the love of Christ. He wants us to intercede on their behalf. He wants us to work in advance of tragedies in order to avert them or to be prepared to respond to them.

We struggle because we don't know all the "why's." But when we consider what we do know, we realize that He's given us more than enough knowledge to respond in the way He desires us to, and to trust that He does in fact know what He's doing.

The "why's" will be answered eventually. We already know what He wants us to do now.