Hope Through Tragedy

The tragic events of September 11 have shocked all Americans. With thousands dead after a horrific act of terrorism, many people are asking, “Where is God in all of this?”
The world we live in is a world in the midst of an intense conflict between good and evil. God is in no way responsible for the incredible pain that this disaster has inflicted upon so many.
God’s fundamental nature is love (1 John 4:8). He draws us to Himself with love (Jeremiah 31:3). He is the author of life. It is Satan who is the author and originator of death.
Jesus himself said, “I have come that they might have life and they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
There are at least three basic lessons that we can learn from all this. First, life is brief. Every breath we take is a gift of God. Every morning that we wake up with beating hearts, thinking brains and functioning bodies, we can praise God for the fact that we are alive. Since life is brief, every day is an opportunity to commit our lives more and more to Him.
The second lesson we can take from this tragedy is that disasters will continue to increase until the coming of our Lord. Scripture predicts deteriorating world conditions at the time of the end (Matthew 24 and Luke 21). These worldwide signs indicate that the coming of our Lord is near.
Lastly, this tragedy reveals a longing within each of our hearts to have sickness and suffering, sorrow and death, and crying and pain over forever. Revelation 21:1-3 reveals the time when God will wipe away tears from every eye.
This enormous tragedy points us to a day when God Himself will usher in eternal peace. This tragedy is not the last chapter. It is not the last act of the drama. It is not the final word. God will have the final word. He will come as King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and God over all. For that we can praise Him through the tears of our tragedy.
Mark Finley