In the wake of tragedy...

How do you explain what happened on the Virginia Tech campus? When tragedy strikes we all ask this question along with many other questions, all starting with why? I found some answers appropriately enough from the pastor of our church. The following is compliments of Bill Simpson, Senior Pastor at Community Bible Church in High Point, NC. Check this out:

God will bring about good from these senseless murders. He will strengthen his people and draw the lost and hopeless to faith in Jesus. We can pray. We can also assure our kids and our friends and co-workers that there is no guarantee we’ll be protected from such acts of violence. Our hope is in a good God, who is always good, who always has our best in mind and he alone is in absolute control of our world and our very lives.

He reminds us that our days on earth were numbered by him personally before we were even born (Psalm 139:13-16). He alone is our hope in hardship, grief, temptation, depression and the uncertainties of life (Psalm 25; 143 & Lamentations 3:19-33). We are commanded not to live in fear but to trust our God, the One who measures the cosmos with the span of his hand and whose love for us is unfailing (Isaiah 44:2 ; John 6:35-40 & Philippians 4:4-7). So we mourn and we move on in hope. We remember our days are uncertain and hopefully, tragedies like this one help us to seize each day to live it in Christ. I know I have today, right now. I’m not sure about tomorrow.

Bill really hit home in one area for me personally in regards to my battle with cancer. That is from Psalm 139:13-16. It reads "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

Read the last line again. The above scripture speaks to the sanctity of human life. God knows us. We cannot surprise him. Nothing we have done or will do can catch him off guard. However, he will never let go of us. For many of us, we can get caught up in the why. If we continue to ask those questions over and over again it will lead to an insurmountable level of stress and anxiety. As for me, I have never asked God why do I have cancer? Instead, I ask him what I can do today and every day to make the world a better place. What can I do to make one person have a better day today than they did yesterday? This is a constant challenge, but one that I must admit I do enjoy taking on each and every day.

Have you ever heard the saying Let go and let God? Putting your complete and absolute faith in our creator is a tough concept for some of us. We have never seen God; how do we trust him? The bible is the instruction book for life. Unfortunately some choose not to read it. Remember - the choice is yours.

God bless you all. Till next time, Brian....