“Why?” It’s one of the first questions we learn to ask. Even Becca, who doesn’t yet say the word will hold her little hand up to the side of her face, fingers outstretched, asking “Why?” And it’s not a sign I have taught her. It just comes natural to her. It comes natural to each of us. We want answers. Mainly, we want to know “why?”
“Why?” I’m sure that a teacher heard that question yesterday, as debris rained down, and had no answer.
“Why?” I’m sure a parent heard that question yesterday, when siblings were not found alive, and had no answer.
“Why?” I’m sure more than one adult asked that question yesterday, about so many things, and received no answer.
“Why?” I asked it today, and God sent me a verse. In my Bible study, our passage for day was the story in John 5 of the man who was healed at the pool. Verse 14 disturbed me. And I don’t want it to be God’s answer. But maybe it is. “…Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” But WHY? Why the children? Why those who are faithful? Why? I don’t know that answer. I never will. But I DO have other answers.
Answers From God’s Word
“Who?” God. That’s who. “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread on our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago.” Micah 7: 18-20
Forever God is faithful. Forever God is with us. We are not alone.
“Where?” The Lord. That’s where. “I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.” Psalm 121: 1&2
He will be our hope. He will be our help. He will be where our strength comes from in this time.
“What?” Peace. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Do not be afraid.” John 14:27
When Jesus came, he left the Holy Spirit behind to provide us with perfect peace. Even in times of trouble, we should not be afraid. For He is always with us.
“When?” Always. “[Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” 1 Corinthians 13:7&8
God ALWAYS loves us. His love will never fail, even when everything else around us does.
“How?” On Wings Like Eagles. “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31
We will move on by placing our hope and trust in the Lord. We will move on. The city will be rebuilt. The schools will be rebuilt. The houses will be rebuilt. Lives will be made new.
“Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, ‘Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.’ The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah.” 2 Chronicles 14:11&12
Our God is a God we can pray to. Our God is a God of action. And in the ancient days, He proved Himself in battle time and time again. He will prove Himself again in this battle against fear, desperation, and hopelessness. He will prove Himself again against the disaster that has occurred. He came to help the powerless against the mighty, and He will again.
We are God’s inquisitive children. We will never understand His reasoning. Many will question. Few will hate. Few will run. Most, I pray, will find their strength renewed and will soar on wings like eagles. I have friends whose family members are missing. Friends whose homes have been destroyed. Friends whose places of business are gone. But I choose to rejoice. All of the people I know are alive. Our hearts are broken, but if we choose to let Him, God holds the glue – the glue to repair our lives. The glue to bond us together and to Himself. That glue doesn’t answer the question of “Why” it happened, and those answers we may never know. But it does answer so many others. For that, we are thankful. For that, I praise Him. Good will come from this. Yes, heartbreak and tragedy and more and more and more stories of defeat and pain will come from this, but so will Good.
Prayers from this heart in San Antonio, Texas, who will always be an “Okie” inside.
Butterbees and Bumbleflies 
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