A
Prayer for the Victims of the Asian Tsunami
O God of grace, we come before you with hurting hearts to plead
for those who are the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in
Asia. We grieve for those who have lost their lives. May angels
surround them and welcome them in peace. We grieve for those who
have lost their loved ones and feel as if the ground has disappeared
not only from under their feet, but from their innermost hearts.
Surround them with your love and tenderness that their pain may
not lead to despair. Above all good God, when nothing but the
question "Why?" screams through our souls, descend with
your loving presence and unfaltering assurance that even in our
darkest moments, you will not forsake us. Even our pain and questioning
is held in the eternity of your embrace. In the time of fear remind
us that, in You, nothing is ever lost. We ask this for the sake
of your love. Amen.
From
a Malaysian visitor to explorefaith.org whose island was hit by
the tsunami:
… Many lost their homes and children died on that day…
It only brings tears and heartbreaks when we know our creator
just stands by the side, allowing this tragedy to happen. I just
wish HE would intervene and this world would have less suffering
and pain. Why would a loving God allow this to happen?
A
Response:
In all honesty, I cannot explain why such a disaster
happens. I realize that it is very difficult to understand how
a loving God would allow this kind of tragedy. While I don't have
clear answers to the question 'why,' I do have some thoughts that
may be helpful. I think it is important to remember that we are
human and as finite human beings, we have a finite understanding
about the mind of God. We do our best to make sense of things,
but with our human limitations, we cannot ever really know the
grand picture of eternity. I have often felt myself that death
is one of the cruelest aspects of life, especially when it comes
through innocent suffering. But, the way I have tried to bring
sense out of that seemingly chaotic cruelty is to recognize the
fact that perhaps God sees death differently than we do. Perhaps
death and suffering are not as final in God's eyes as they are
in our own. It has also helped me to realize that God is timeless
-- God dwells in timelessness. With God, the past is the present
is the future is all one. That seems like a strange phrase without
punctuation, but in the timelessness of God, death is not a single
unilateral event stuck in a chronological moment of time. Because
God stands outside of time, or rather, is not limited to chronological
time as we know it, God always has the entire grand picture in
view.
As humans, we struggle with the tragedies, disasters, and vagaries
that life deals out, and wonder why everything cannot be peaceful.
And yet, peace is sometimes most fully realized through conflict,
resurrection is sometimes most fully realized through death, light
is sometimes most fully realized through darkness. If we had the
eternal mind of God and could see the grand picture, we might
have less difficulty understanding it all. As it is, we may find
that we have little chance of fully understanding, but we have
been given a great capacity for faith. And as the Bible says,
"Faith is the substance of what we hope for, the evidence
of what cannot be seen." (Hebrews 11:1). And again in Romans,
"We are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope..."
(Romans 8:24a). And we have the promise of God's everlasting presence,
"I will never leave you or forsake you." (Hebrew 13:5).
The pain and suffering you are bearing now may make you feel hopeless
and helpless. But, there are slivers of grace to be found even
in the darkest moment. There is the presence of God to be felt
in the smallest touch of another. There is the hope that beckons,
and the peace of God that is somehow still available even though
every breath may feel like it is crushing your chest. And, just
maybe, your pain and suffering will help those of us who are not
there, to stand in stronger solidarity with you, and together
we can storm the gates of heaven, not for answers, but for mercy
and love.
Be patient with yourself. It's okay to be mad at God, and cry
out to God, and ask God why. When you allow yourself the freedom
to be angry and hurt with God, and say what you are feeling, God
will hear, and you will find your soul calmed and comforted. May
God's great love be wrapped around you and all who are suffering
in this tragedy, and in time I pray that the peace of God that
passes all understanding will fill your heart and soul with the
light of heaven.
Renée Miller
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