Grieving With Those Who Grieve
Like many of you, I couldn’t focus on relaxing or enjoying the holiday weekend as reports of the floods in and around Hunt, Texas took the lives of innocent children who were at a Christian camp where they would experience God in nature and make friends for a lifetime. When unexplainable tragedy strikes, we do not know what to say or do. I found myself unable to say anything in my prayers other than, “Lord, have mercy.”
The trauma and tragedy of the recent flood that impacted Camp Mystic is so hard to imagine. While we struggle to consider the human suffering that impacts adults in times like these, our hearts and minds can barely think about children who suffer and die due to floods, fires, and other catastrophic events.
Theologians and philosophers try to help us understand and cope with the problem of pain and suffering, but no one can ultimately make the suffering and pain explainable. What the scriptures do tell us and give examples of is the importance of lament. In times of suffering, our best response is to cry out to God with our questions, our pain, and with our need for comfort and help. And we do this not only for ourselves but for those who are in the middle of suffering.
The scriptures are filled with prayers of lament, offered when tragedy struck people and nations. Unfortunately, we often speed by those sections of scripture because they are hard to read, and they do not reconcile with our desires for peace, tranquility, and ease. But if we ignore these passages, we will miss our best pathway to finding God in our difficult times. We will also fail to understand our responsibility to grieve and lament for those who are in the middle of their grief and feel hopeless.
Sadly, we often only grieve with those who suffer when they are closer to us in proximity. But as we embrace our lament for our brothers and sisters in Texas, may we not forget the children around the world who also suffer in this moment. No one but God knows who is suffering in a current moment, but we would be remiss not to cry out to God for those we do know are suffering.
Today as we pray, may we remember the suffering of children around the world.
Father, we cry out to you on behalf of the children and families who grieve in Texas, in Israel, in Palestine, in Iran, in Ukraine, in Russia, in areas of Africa, who are experiencing conflicts, famine, and lack of medical supplies. Lord, we understand that we live in a broken world, awaiting Christ’s return and our final season of restoration and renewal. Yet as we wait, our hearts grieve for those who are lost physically and spiritually. Awaken us and all believers to pray often, to send encouragement, to advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves, and to send relief supplies when and where we can. Lord, we admit we don’t understand all of the reasons why there is so much suffering in the world, and we cry out with the psalmist: “How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?” Remember how short our time is! As hard as it is, we consider the suffering of our Lord and Savior and your call for us to share in the suffering of others. Comfort those who grieve today. Heal those whose bodies are sick. Provide food for those who are starving. Oh, Father, we long for the return of Jesus and we pray… Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Psalm 89:46-52; Hebrews 5:7-10; Revelation 6:9-10 ESV
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