Making Sense of the Insensible

In light of today’s events, I am taking a break from my Christmas series.

Today, December 14, 2012 – just 11 days before Christmas – 26 people, 18 of whom are children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CN were shot and killed by the 24 year old son of a kindergarten teacher at the school. Many of these children were students in the teacher’s kindergarten class.

As the father with a son in kindergarten, I am horrified and appalled at this tragedy. I, like you, ask the question “Why?” This is a normal and understandable question to ask, but not one that should shake the believer’s faith in a sovereign, loving, faithful God one bit. Yet, the question “Why?” leads most people to one of two answers: [1] faith in God which causes them to stand in awe of His power and trust His divine plans, or [2] unbelief and incredulity at a deity that causes or allows such things to happen. Unbelievers - atheists, skeptics, and doubters - are quick to blame God for allowing or causing such tragedies and point to them as incontrovertible truth that God does not exist.

How do we, as believers, make sense of such insensible horrors? I will admit, this is one of the most difficult questions I, or any other pastor, has to answer; and the answer is not an easy one.

The problem of tragedy, suffering, and injustice is a problem for everyone. It is at least as big a problem for unbelievers as it is for believers. It is a mistake, though an understandable one, to think that if you abandon belief in God it somehow makes the problem of evil easier to handle. Knowing you live each day at the whim of random events possessing the ability to kill you or those you love in an instant will bring anyone to the point of despair. If we live in a totally random world, a world without any guiding principles, apart from a sovereign God, is there purpose for continuing in it?

For the Christian, the problem of suffering and tragedy brings us to the foot of the cross in humility and brokenness. We believe every single event, however apparently random and accidental, is part of God’s sovereign plan. Nothing is accidental; nothing happens by chance - even the insensible slaughter of 26 people / 18 children at the hands of a depraved moron. Yes, even a horrible tragedy such as today has seen is a piece of a greater puzzle which we cannot see or understand. Every single event of human history from creation until today affects all subsequent history. God is still in control, He still reigns, and His plan for redeeming sinners will be fulfilled. Throughout all of the sufferings, senseless tragedies, and horrible calamities of human history God has drawn people to Himself; people have come to faith in Jesus Christ through what seems like insensible horrors.

Why, then, do such things happen? I must point out that we live in a fallen, sinful, wicked, depraved world. That sin was not caused by God. God did not direct Adam to sin; just the opposite. Adam chose to sin and so do we. Sin never gets better; it gets worse. The Apostle Paul said that, “…evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse…” (2Ti 3:13). Why did this 24 year old man kill so many and impact so many lives? He, out of the depravity of his sinful heart, chose to do so. The blame rests with no one but him and his accomplice. God cannot be blamed for this, but the now dead murderer can.

My heart runs to passages such as Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (NASB). I want to point out several truths from this verse. The first is obvious – God causes all things to work together for good. This does not mean that God causes all things. It does mean that God not only can, but is, working through every situation, every circumstance, every tragedy for His glory and the believer’s benefit. This leads me to my next observation – God is not causing all things to work together for good for everyone. No, as much as we may not like it, Paul is clear; God is causing all things to work together for good for Christians, believers, those who love Him. This love of God implies trust – active faith in God through Jesus Christ alone. The final observation is as obvious as the first – God has a plan. God is causing all things to work together for good for Christians who have been called according to His purpose. This is a very clear reminder that God is in control of everything; not just the good stuff. When you look at the context in which Paul wrote these words, it’s a context of suffering not rejoicing; of tragedy not triumph.

Taken individually, the events and circumstances God allows in my life may not, in and of themselves, appear to be of any value or good to the Christian. Nor does Paul say that each event is good or even that each incident individually will produce that which is good. He does inform us that all of the events of my life – the good and bad, the triumphant and tragic, the sensible and insensible - working together, will produce what is good. God chooses and blends of all of our experiences in such a way as to produce that which is good. God causes all things to work together for good. This means we cannot judge the goodness of God’s work until His program is finished. Until God’s recipe for our lives is complete, we dare not judge God’s cooking. Our best and only real choice is to entrust ourselves to Him; knowing that He always blends the right ingredients, at the right time, in the right way, and in the right proportions to produce something that brings Him glory and is best for us. We may not always know, today, tomorrow, or in the foreseeable future, what that good may be, but it will be good. Why, because God is sovereign. You see, it is God who determines what constitutes that which is good, just, and right; not us. We see goodness, justice, and righteousness through a foggy lens corrupted by our own sinfulness; God does not.

The events of today will be examined and reexamined publicly in the media in the days and months ahead. School will never be the same for any student nationwide – and maybe that’s OK. America will never be the same after a horrible tragedy such as this, nor will the families who lost loved ones today. The community of Newtown, CN will forever be known for the murders at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I weep for those who have suffered so much. It is all I can do to wait to pick up my kindergartner from school today and not rush now to take him into the safety of our home. My heart aches for the families of all involved; including that of the murderer Ryan Lanza. But my faith in the one and only sovereign God of the universe is not shaken; nor should it be. Do we have to understand all God allows – all of the ins and outs, whys and wherefores? No.

I challenge all who know and love Jesus Christ to use today’s tragic events to bolster your faith and give you boldness in the proclamation of the gospel. I urge you who do not yet know Jesus personally to come to Him, for it’s only at the foot of the cross that real peace, comfort, and hope in times like this can be found. I end by echoing the words of David in Psalm 57:1, “Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.”