Everybody Hurts
In brief: When we witness tragedy — whether personal heartache or world events — Rev Rob outlines four biblical responses Christians can turn to: pray for the suffering, help practically or financially, give thanks for our own blessings, and repent, remembering that every tragedy points to the certainty of Christ's return and the hope of the Gospel.
Our hearts seem to be almost constantly battered by the tragedies we witness in this broken world, whether the dark hues of heartache and pain are smeared on the small canvas of our own personal lives or the large canvas of the wider world. It feels like our hearts, minds, and souls are assaulted over and over again by the experience of suffering, which can be caused either by human sin or natural disaster. And perhaps we instinctively ask: How should I respond to all this pain, not just as a fellow human being, but more importantly as a Christian?
Well, here are four suggestions of the many we could consider.
First, We Can Pray
Ps 34:17-18 says: "The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
Ps 10:14: "But you O God see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless." V17: "You Lord hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them and you listen to their cry."
There is a biblical principle that as Christians we ought to seek to put ourselves in the shoes of the suffering, and to pray for them as we would want to be prayed for ourselves if we were in their skin and circumstances. So, we can pray. (If you'd like a place to bring these prayers, our prayer page has ways to join us in praying for those who are hurting.)
Second, We Can Help Practically or Financially
Solomon writes in Proverbs 19:17: "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done."
This principle probably lies behind Jesus' parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25, where he makes the stunning declaration that when we serve those in need, we are serving Jesus — it's as if we are doing it for him! And of course, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus blows out of the water any sense that we are expected to offer such help only to people like us or at least people we like — the call is to do what we can for ANYONE and EVERYONE in need regardless of human distinctives such as creed, colour or class — yes, even our enemies.
(Many of us find this easier to live out together — our small groups are a good place to find practical ways to support one another and the wider community.)
Third, We Can Be Humbly Thankful for Our Own Blessings
It is a sad reality of human life that we tend to take our daily blessings for granted and only truly appreciate them when they are taken away.
Maybe that's why Ps 103:2 reminds us: "Praise the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits". Before the people of Israel crossed the Jordan and entered the Promised Land, Moses warned them in Deuteronomy 8:10-14: "When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God... Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God... Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied... your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God."
When we see the devastation wreaked by tragedies — loss of health, home, family, life — it should cause us to reflect on the good things we enjoy, not as a right but as a gift of God, and to fall to our knees before our Father in gratitude. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man left it too late to be thankful for his blessings and, despite his desperate pleas, unlike Ebenezer Scrooge, he was unable to turn the clock back and change his attitude.
So, let's pray, let's do what we can to help, let's be thankful for our daily blessings.
And Finally, We Can Repent
In a conversation Jesus had in Luke 13:1-5, he pulled the rug from under the predominant theology of the day, that those who suffer, do so because God is punishing them for their sin. Jesus referenced two awful events that were in the news headlines at the time. First, a tragedy caused by human sin (v1) — an atrocity committed by Pontius Pilate against Galilean worshippers in the Jerusalem Temple. And, second, a 'natural' disaster (v4) — a tragic accident when a building near the Pool of Siloam in the southern part of Jerusalem suddenly fell and crushed eighteen bystanders.
In both cases Jesus questions whether those who died were worse sinners than everyone else (v2 & 4) and he answers his own question with a resounding 'I tell you, No!' (v3 & 5). But then he shakes us with a challenge (v3 & 5). There is a Day of Judgement coming when all will stand before the throne of the Lord Jesus to give account for our lives. So, Jesus is telling us not to assume that suffering in this life means someone was a worse sinner than you or me. Instead, let every tragedy, man-made or natural, remind us of the urgency of personal repentance before Jesus returns. Jesus turns every tragedy into a universal call to humility and repentance.
(If questions like this are ones you're wrestling with, Alpha is a relaxed space to explore them with others.)
A Hope Beyond the Pain
So, when we witness pain and heartache, we can pray, help, thank and repent, so that we may look forward to that Day, not with fear but with sure and certain hope, for Jesus has taken all our punishment on the cross, and has granted us his perfect righteousness as a free gift. When we stand before him on that Day we will see him smiling at us, maybe with a tear in his eye, and hear him utter those extraordinary words: 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.'
Blessings, Rev Rob
(New here, or wondering what this looks like lived out in community? Come and join us — you'd be very welcome. You can also browse more reflections like this one on our blog, or explore what a first visit looks like.)
