Coping with Tragedy and Grief
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It is Important to Trust in God
Psalm 102:25-27
God always does the greatest good that He can possibly do in light of eternity.
“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:13-17).
We do not know what God knows. We cannot see inside the private lives of everyone involved. God can, however, and we should trust that He knows what He is doing.
“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).
God is always faithful, even when we are not.
“This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure,We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:11-13).
God’s righteousness and justice will ultimately prevail.
“Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25).
We Live in a Fallen World
God Made the World Perfect, but Man Sinned and Death Entered the World
Genesis 2-3
The world became so wicked after the death of Abel that God decided humanity needed to be destroyed.
“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).
The resulting destruction left lasting effects on the world around us: Volcanos, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Thunderstorms, Floods.
We are not promised tomorrow.
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’” (James 4:13-15).
God Has Given Man an Opportunity to do Good
When terrible events happen in our world because of its fallen nature, we have an opportunity to respond with decency and love.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
We have the example of Jesus Christ.
“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin,Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:21-24).
We do not do evil that good may come, but when evil comes, we must do good!
This World is Not My Home
We should not get comfortable living in this world. It is not designed to house us forever.
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (2 Peter 3:10-11).
We need to make heaven our home.
Paul wrote, “to depart and be with Christ is far better” (Philippians 1:23).
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:20-21).
There is a place where tragedy and grief will not happen again.
“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).