I wanted to share a message that I sent to our church family at Gateway South Austin.
Thank you for praying for those who have lost loved ones and for those who have been affected by these floods.
Thank you for giving to our partners (Austin Disaster Relief Network and Convoy of Hope) who have been on the ground the day after the flooding. (If you would like to give to them above and beyond what you normally give to Gateway, you can give here).
Thank you for those of you who have been caring for those around you who are grieving.
Thank you to those of you who have been out there to volunteer. (You can sign up to volunteer here).
In the midst of such loss, it’s easy to wonder why a loving God would allow this kind of tragedy.
The version of Christianity I grew up with seemed to teach (perhaps unintentionally) that if you are good you will be blessed and if you are bad, you will be cursed. As many of you know, after moving to Seattle in the mid 1990s, I “deconstructed” without “throwing the baby Jesus out with the bath water.” I had to unlearn this religious view of an angry God and actually discovered a more beautiful and biblical view of God.
Here are a few things I discovered and have experienced:
- God never promised us a life without suffering. He promised to be with us in our suffering.
- God mourns with those who mourns and calls us to do the same.
- Sometimes God intervenes in miraculous ways that are obvious. Sometimes He intervenes in ways we are not fully aware. Sometimes God seems silent, but even in those times we can trust Him.
- This life is not all there is. We can have hope in life after death. (Want proof of life after death? Consider the medical journals with articles about Near Death Experiences. Our founding pastor John Burke has compared these medical journals with the Scriptures in his book Imagine Heaven.
- We may not fully know why bad things may happen to good people, but we can know the One who does. We can trust Him. We can find peace, comfort, love, and goodness in Him.
- One day, God will make all things right in the new heavens and new earth.
For more on finding hope in the midst of suffering for yourself or to help those you know who are hurting, consider these messages and passages of Scripture:
NYC Pastor Tim Keller on the Sunday after 9/11 – “Truth, Tears, Anger, and Grace”
Tim Keller’s philosophical approach to human suffering at the Veritas Forum at Columbia University – “Why Did God Allow the Holocaust?”
Recently, I shared a message on overcoming anxiety. If that is your struggle or the struggle of those you are helping through this, here is the message “I Can’t Sleep at Night”
Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus as that is why we are called “The Body of Christ.” Sometimes God sends us to be the answers to others’ prayers. We do that as we love Him and love and serve our neighbors.
In this with you,
Eric
