Where Was God In All Of This?Sample

The concept of free will, choice, and the sovereignty of God are some areas where you may need clarity. If so, I encourage you to search the scriptures, pray and seek God's answers. I want to share a bit more of my story with you.

After hearing the tragic news of my youngest brother Matt's death that day, the weight of the world came crashing onto my body, and all I could do was wail. Deep sobs and wailing were all I could manage to get out after I heard the news. People around me were visibly uncomfortable and moving away from me. I wasn't really crying, I was trying to mentally and physically push the bad news out of my body by audibly letting out a noise. It didn't work. This wasn't something I could scream away. I was numb after that. I needed to process, but it also meant delivering the news to my ex-husband who was on the way to pick me up, and to my daughter. How in the world was I going to do this and still keep it together? As predicted, neither of them took the news well at all. There were tears, disbelief, wailing, more tears…you get the picture.

When we hear or see tragic news stories, the impact is felt immediately and often lingers for days, months, and even years. Some of us cry, and some get angry, but whether or not we have a visible reaction, there is fallout. It is a natural reaction to trauma. There are some common responses to societal trauma. One of the most common responses is to become angry with God. I've been there. Many days have come and gone where I shook my inner fist at God and asked why. Although I would never come out and say it, I was angry at God for a long time. I wanted answers, but I stuffed my anger inside, then followed down the rabbit hole into depression. Where do you go when you can't seem to get an answer from the one place people tell you to go for answers? You go to the Word of God to hear his heart on matters of human suffering and tragedy. Apparently, evil and destruction have existed on the earth for hundreds of thousands of years. In the days of Noah and the flood, this is how God chose to deal with things:

Genesis 6:7 (English Standard Version) - The LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them."

God was actually sorrowful about the very thing (humans) that he created because there was so much evil going on in the world. Evil is carried out by...humans. This lets us know that God has emotions, and he has a heart that desires the best for us even when humanity doesn't cooperate. Even after he allowed the flood to come upon the earth, he created the rainbow as a sign that he would never destroy the planet with a flood again. Noah and his family replenished the earth, and we are still here today as a result of God keeping His promise. The reason God made good on his promise? He has a name. We will talk about him tomorrow in the next reading.