Responding to Tragedy

The shocking tragedy at Virginia Tech stunned our nation. This was a shocking example of evil among us. While I would never say that Cho Seung Hui was evil, most would agree that at the end, during the rampage, that he was filled with evil, even overcome by evil.

Some use examples like this to indicate that there can’t be a God. That a loving and caring God would never allow things like this to happen. Yet they do. They happen at an increasing frequency. Does this mean that there is no god? Does this mean that God doesn’t care? Does this mean that we are wasting our time calling out to God? Some feel this way.

I don’t feel this way. I don’t see this as an indication that God is not present at all. Instead, I see things like this as a sign of how much we need Him. I see tragedy as a reminder that we have no hope outside of our relationship with God. We can’t trust the system; we can’t trust our colleges and universities – as wonderful as they may be. When we do, we feel frustrated, we loose control, and we loose hope.

We as a people are reminded of this loss of hope when tragedy comes. In fact, maybe that’s why we’re so shocked. We think we are doing okay. We think things are working out well. We think our society is just fine as it is. And then the worst happens, and we find out that’s not the case. And we’re shocked.

The Billy Graham Association is calling for churches all over America to pray for the victims’ families today, Sunday, April 22, 2007. Pray, for the police and rescue crews who saw so much horror last week. Pray for the community that was so stunned. Pray. Whether you prayed in church this week or not, just take a moment now, and bow your heads, and pray.

In the end, that’s the response that this kind of tragedy should bring. Bowing our heads and turning to God.