Finding God in Tragedy

By Ilcias Vargas, Jr.

On Wednesday, February 14, 2018, when the nation — and virtually the entire world — was celebrating love, a young man walked into a Florida school and committed a horrific act of hatred and violence. In the wake of what has been called the deadliest school shooting in United States history, seventeen individuals were pronounced dead, with fifteen others injured. We look at tragedies like these, and we wonder, “Where is God in times like these?”

​This horrible crime, this heartless massacre of students and teachers alike, left the nation stunned.  Our schools are supposed to be safe places for our youth to learn… not to be gunned down innocently.  I am sixteen years old, and the thought of such an abrupt end to the lives of young people my age makes me shudder.

God grieves with the families and friends of the victims of the Florida shooting.  It is not His will that any tragedy like this should occur.  As we turn to the pages of Scripture for an explanation, the answer comes to us: “An enemy has done this” (Matthew 13:28, NKJV).  There is an evil power at work in this world causing pain, heartache, suffering, and even death.  This enemy is waging war against God Himself, and tries to hurt God by hurting those He loves and created in His image — us human beings.

But we still ask, “How can God allow this to happen?  I mean, He’s all-powerful, right?  Can’t He do something about it?”  The answer is, He has!  Through Jesus’ death on the cross, God has guaranteed the ultimate defeat and destruction of the horrible enemy who has terrorized this planet for so long (John 12:31-32). However, the freedom to choose between good and evil must be preserved, and the effects of sin run its course for the universe to understand the the importance of love and obedience. The tragedies and disasters we see in our world today are like the final thrashings of a monster ready to die.  The enemy “knows that he has a short time,” and is filled with “great wrath” because of this knowledge (Revelation 12:12, NKJV).  We’re living in the final days of the devil’s reign of terror, in the time just before he meets his final defeat.

In the meantime, God gives us comfort and strength to face the sorrows we experience in this life.  We can trust Him, knowing that He cares for us (2 Peter 5:7).  He sympathizes with us, and His heart is touched by our grief.  We are given the assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39).

Where is God in times of sorrow?  Where is God in times of grief and pain?  The truth is, He’s only a prayer away.

Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. — Jeremiah 29:12-13, NKJV