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Where Was God on Monday?
Regis Nicoll

“Some argue that a tragedy such as Virginia Tech proves there is no God.” --Cal Thomas The sovereign will of God is fundamental to Christian doctrine. Yet, as Mr. Hart suggests, platitudes about “God’s ultimate good ends” offered to the afflicted are offensive because it is cheap compassion, often offered to relieve our own discomfort while avoiding the costly compassion of real action.“Where was God?” we ask of this past week. The words of Elaine V. Emeth cut deep as she addresses the horrors of another generation,

“Where was God when the Holocaust took place? At Auschwitz and Birkenau, God was unloaded from transport trains; was terrorized, starved, and beaten with slave laborers; was gassed and cremated…Christ died one-and-a-half million deaths at Auschwitz and Birkenau…”

As the words of Elaine Emeth remind us, God’s unfailing presence is in keeping with his title, Immanuel—God with us. And although that knowledge can lessen our sense of isolation, there are times when the victims of evil’s reign need something more tangible. They need a flesh and blood Jesus. They need costly compassion from those who will touch them, comfort them, listen to their hurts, and dress their wounds.

The challenge for Christians, now and always, is that whenever and wherever the anguished cry of “Where is God?” wells up, it will be answered in the hands and feet, as well as, in the prayers of his image-bearers.

“Our God cares, for this God is Immanuel, God with us, who joins us in our dumbfounded speechlessness and bewilderment and this God does not give advice from a safe distance but enters the fiery furnace of our anguish and God wipes away our tears, this God who knows us by name, from whose nothing, not even death can separate us.” –Desmond Tutu

No one can possibly know why this happened? We can guess, the media can offer crucifixion of the administration of Va Tech, the faith of weakened Christians can be altered. I for one, know there is evil in this world, where so many people claim that it doesn't exist. I refuse, however, to give the credit to Satan, but somehow, through this tragedy, that our Lord Jesus may be glorified. The doctor who delivered my 7 month old baby girl, told my mom today that his son, who I watched play baseball with my brother since he was just a little thing, would have been in one of those classes if the shooter had chosen to be there on Tuesday, what a realization of death that must have been for him. We know several people who attend that college that graduated with my brother, my brother chose to serve our country and joined the Army, and he is now serving us in Afghanistan. He said he had heard of the tragedy, but he suffered his own last week when two men from his company were killed by roadside bombs and the realization of death had come upon many of them. I imagine he thought the tragedy at Va Tech pales in comparison to the wars going on all over the world. Not to make light of Va tech, by any means, it's devastating, but we have to look at the bigger picture, the world is at war and it's not people at war, it's Good at war with Evil. We as Christians have to make a stand, persecuted or not, we have to stand up for the good in the world, not stand down from fear, because with God there is no fear. I do not fear evil, I am saddened that no one probably took the time to share with that young man about the true love of Christ, his view of Christianity was fogged, all he saw was people pretending, I have no doubt he was laughed at, whispered about, joked about, by people who claimed to know God and be Christians, and to think he didn't hear those things, well, we now know he did. He was hurting, instead of a lot of people reaching out to him, they ridiculed him, it was all a cry for help and it was ignored, most likely he was also ignored as a child. Or perhaps maybe not, maybe he was just a sociopath, that never had feeling from childhood, I have listened to several different opinions about when psychological problems rear their ugly heads, but I refuse to believe that God can't intervene, if given the opportunity. Give God the opportunity to intervene through you. Be an outlet for our Lord. Love all those even the ones who hurt you, hurt others. I know it seems unimaginable to love someone who has hurt you or someone you love or others out of coldblood. I know, I am a childhood sexual abuse survivor. I have struggled and struggled with this, but the Lord shared something with me a few months ago. It was this, They are all my children, even the ones who you find disturbing, and I am saddened by my children too, but I still love them like you love yours. I started thinking, we would love our children no matter what they did, we sometimes don't approve of what they do, but we love them none the less, that's how the Lord feels about us. Thank you for letting me get all that out. I am just saying what I feel led to say.

In my eyes, Hui behaved as someone possessed! His tirade was broken, irratic, and his eyes looked flat and emotionless. Everyone was trying to make sense of it and there was clearly no sense to be made! He looked like a dead man walking to me... which seems to be the outward appearance of many who were under possession. He brought up the crucifixion of Jesus in relation to his own situation :? Very disturbing. The comparison only convinces my SIL and I that the enemy was at work in shaking people's faith and strengthening hatred against the Lord. You are right, there is evil in this world and from the beginning of time God has been very straight with human kind about that fact. This is another example of evil and another example of why people need to wake up and turn to Jesus!

I think the answer to where was God that day becomes clear when at the candlelight vigil the 16,000 left at VT joined together singing Amazing Grace as they held their candles high. 32 lives were lost, but He knows how many souls have been saved through this experience...sometimes folks will only come to HIm when there is no where else to go. I think this type of tragedy certainly counts as one of those times. .. We cannot comprehend it, only go to our knees over it.