Helicopter crash kills nine people.
California residents flee devastating wildfires.
Young brothers found dead in ravine.
Father
kills his family and then himself.
There were just some of the headlines I heard the other day on the evening news. And I wondered: What's going on? Why is so much tragedy occurring in the world today? Is the world simply spinning out of control?
But tragedies aren't just happening today - they also happened when Jesus lived. They happened when tragedy struck a group of Galileans when Pilate murdered them while offering sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem.They happened when eighteen men died in Jerusalem when the Tower of Siloam fell on them. And when Jesus explained why these tragedies occurred, he said it wasn't because the men who died had done anything wrong, but to help others repent before another tragedy occurred.
Dr. Martin DeHaan also explains the purpose of tragedy in his book,
How much does God control:
"
Whenever we encounter disease, disaster, or destruction in the world, it is a reminder that we are no better than the victims of these events and it could one day happen to us too. Thus, we are to see these events as a call to repentance for those who still need to be saved."
The senseless killing of children. Plane crashes killing innocent people. Earthquakes swallowing up neighborhoods and cities
.
As long as we live in a sinful world, we can expect tragedy to strike again and again. And when it does, may it inspire us to sound off the clarion call for all to hear - the call to repentance.
Sharing the Word,
Jeaninne
