Shall Not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?

In the midst of yet another tragedy that has struck our campus, I must stop to ask the question we all wonder:

Where is God in all of this?

The answer is simple: He's right in the midst of it.

But what does this mean? When situations such as this arise, the cliches start flowing.

Oh, the Lord has a plan.
It's for a purpose.
God will be with you.
Etc.

But what comfort does this bring a person that has experienced tragedy first-hand? It very nearly does the opposite sometimes. People who are hurting, whether believers or not, are not interested in cliche "I-don't-know-what-else-to-say" expressions. They're asking the tough questions such as the one above.

How do we as believers move beyond the cliches and into Biblical truth?

Here's what the Lord is revealing to me: He's got a plan and purpose and is working for the good of those who love him.

Wait a second God. Hold the phone. Doesn't that sound exactly like the cliches I mentioned above??

The answer is yes, it most certainly does. But here's the best part: it doesn't stop there, in the emptiness of an expression that has no value. It goes one step further and actually points out the divine truth behind it all in a way that none but the Lord himself could describe it.

In sitting and discussing these issues with a friend, here's what the Lord brought to our attention: He is divinely orchestrating EVERYTHING.

And when I say everything, I really mean it.

1. I felt that this particular friend was the one I was supposed to call to talk things out.
2. She answered and needed a study break.

This is just one, miniscule example of the divine orchestration of the Lord. But here's a hard question that we all have to ask ourselves:

Will we choose to give him that much credit? Because if we give him that much credit, then it would seem that nothing we accomplish is by our doing.

But that's just it. Is anything by our doing? Or is the radical and relentless desire of the Lord to reveal himself to us ever present and ever moving in and around our lives?

So what, then, am I getting at here? How about this: He's got a plan and purpose in the midst of this tragedy (and any other tragedies) and is working for the good of those who love him.

All of the sudden the cliches are coming to life in a new and powerful way. Perhaps one individual, due to the tragedy, will cry for the first time in a year, therefore releasing all of the pent up emotions that have been crippling them. Still another may recognize the very real need of community and do their best to replicate what it should look like. Or perhaps yet another still has been ignoring God, yet in the midst of tragedy he has provided the opportunity for a holy argument to take place.

But wait, there's more.

Not only does he divinely orchestrate, but he divinely reveals. So to one that perhaps did not know the individuals involved , he urges them through pains in the stomach to pray that the community would not turn their face from him. Or to another he reveals the hope that is to come because of what has taken place.

Divine revelation. Yes please.

It's time we believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. That he is not only orchestrating, but he's revealing parts of himself that we would not have otherwise seen.

We will not ever understand why these things happen; nor should we waste our time dwelling on such things. We will never be satisfied with the conclusions that we come to. And as hard as it is to ponder, we have two options. Either we choose to believe that our knowledge is so incredibly limited in comparison to the Lord's and choose to believe that he will do what is good, or we turn our faces from him. It's high time we believe in the justness of God.

"Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" Genesis 18:25

Or that he's working for our good.

"For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Or that has a plan for our lives.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11