GOD’S STRATEGY IN TRAGEDIES
[6-minute read]
When glitches appear in our plans for the future and our perfectly laid out assumptions of realities, we are quick to see the people at fault and the problems they cause. Then, we look for solutions that make sense to us. A job change, a parting of ways, or a new membership should put an end to unpleasantness and take us to a place of problem-free existence. Even if God intervenes, we are quick to talk about the outcomes that favour us and slower to reflect on our responsibility to steward the new realities He creates.
Looking back, Jesus and His disciples also faced several trials and challenges of all sizes and packages. And each time He performed a miracle, His disciples likely felt socially elevated by their association with the Miracle Worker, yet they remained spiritually dull and unproductive.
Matthew 15:29-39 describes a time when food had run out for a multitude (4,000 people, not counting women and children) after three days following Jesus to a remote and rural place. Jesus turned to His disciples, “I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way”. Strikingly, this was exactly what the disciples had suggested to Him in a similar situation not too long ago – to send the multitudes away to buy food for themselves. Still, they copped out by asking the Lord, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”. They did not realize that Jesus was in fact testing to see if they had learnt anything from Him about His problem-solving strategy. It almost seemed as though they didn’t think He could pull it off again.
This tells us that we easily become spiritually lazy and nonchalant about our faith, or we can activate our faith in new ways whenever we face different trials. It means doing life with God and know that He will always be glorified. So how do we become better at perceiving God’s strategy in tragedies?
We need to examine the health and strength of our relationship with God in three areas:
#1 KNOWING GOD
The Bible offers many statements of truth about God’s nature. J.I. Packer offered this for thought: how can we turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God? According to Packer, the rule for doing this was simple but demanding. He suggested that we turned each Truth that we learned about God into a matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God.
Let’s say we meditate on the one truth that God will never leave us nor forsake us. We will then declare that even when we go through difficult trials, God will not walk out on us, or remain uninvolved (Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5). We will thank God for never leaving or forsaking us even when we feel isolated and alone in our situations. We will praise Him for being good at keeping His Word. Eventually, we will see how God turns our personal tragedies into episodes of transitions in our lives.
Those who truly know God know that there is nothing predictable in how He works. He often sets up ordinary people to do great exploits for Him in the most unexpected ways. Elijah was relatively unknown till God sent him to confront King Ahab who, in the eyes of God, did more evil than all the kings after King David (1 Kings 16:30,). God could not have sent him to someone more obnoxious and insufferable. But as Elijah stood before King Ahab, he declared, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” (1 Kings 17:1) Indeed, as we read in Daniel 11:32b NKJ, “but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”
#2 DEPENDENCE ON GOD
Anyone who thinks that our dependence on God guarantees stability in life have bought into an age-old lie of the enemy.
In quick succession, 1 Kings 17:2-4 shows us how things went south for Elijah after he obeyed God and confronted King Ahab. Very soon, the man who prophesized drought could not even find water, food and safety to save himself. Why didn’t God pack him off to a safe place with provisions and comfort as a reward for doing what He said?
In truth, the appearance of storms doesn’t mean our jobs, our marriage, or our lives are headed in the wrong direction. Rather, storms test our mettle and our dependence on God.
When God sent Elijah away to a place called Kerith Ravine (‘Kerith’ means ‘to cut away’), it was a time when he would be cut away from life as usual and he would have to rely on water supply from the brook and ravens to send him food. In verse 4, God emphasized, “I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” God made it clear that if Elijah had taken a different path and gone somewhere else, he would not find any food or water for survival. So we see that whether God sent Elijah to an evil king or to escape to a desolate area, it involved the same obedience from him.
Jesus told His disciples, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).
Here's the truth: we obey God not because of the advantages and benefits of the relationship, but because it is vital for our spiritual health and well-being. To depend on God is to recognize that He is the source of everything. This also means we need to consider God’s perspective throughout the day. If God is your life, would He also have a right to your response and your priorities? Would you then check in with God before you act or speak? Would you also ask Him to review your priorities before you plan for another busy weekend or take on somebody’s responsibilities?
#3 TRUST IN GOD
Sure enough, it was a matter of time before the brook at Kerith Ravine, too, dried up. God then gave Elijah another set of instructions, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” (1 Kings 17:8-16).
Bear in mind that God’s strategies are often unorthodox and off the wall! But He also would not let anything happen without an enduring plan for our good. So when Elijah arrived at Zarephath, he was not too jolted to find that the person God assigned to sustain him was a widow in dire straits!
This goes to show that in every situation, we can reserve our opinions and preferences, and trust that God alone has boundless wisdom as well as our interests at heart. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Prov 3:5-6).
We can be sure that God’s strategies, though hard to comprehend, will always prevail over tragedies and adversities that are part of the human existence. We can only truly have fellowship with one another, and offer the human touch in the darkest days, if we make knowing God, depending on Him and trusting Him the only way to live our own lives.
What is the Lord saying to you?
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 10 June 2023.
