I wish I could tell you all the children at Camp Mystic have been found and are safe and accounted for.
I wish I could tell you that the rains bypassed that Texas camp entirely and that the campers are right now outside canoeing and hiking and playing instead of dealing with the trauma of knowing they have friends and counselors they will never see again.
But the rains did fall, the river did rise, and many children died.
If there is one place on earth you would think God would want to protect from storms and flooding, it is a Christian camp for children.
The news is full of stories of children who are sick, or kids who drown while swimming, or who die of a drug overdose, or are shot in their home by someone who happened to be driving by.
Car accidents take the lives of whole families. There are senseless murders, mass shootings and diseases of every kind.
But the sheer raw power of natural disasters place them in a category all their own. A tornado levels one home, but leaves the house next door completely untouched. Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes and wildfires are all part of daily life.
Are they random events that just happen from time to time? Are they God’s judgment on a sinful people? Or are they part of something so marvelously unfathomable that we simply have to trust in the goodness of God?
The Bible warns against speculation. In Luke 13, Jesus speaks of a group of Galileans killed by Pilate. Were they worse than other Galileans?
He also mentions the 18 people who were killed when a tower fell on them in Jerusalem. Were they worse sinners than other people living in Jerusalem at the time?
In both cases, Jesus replies with an unqualified, “No.” Instead, He told those listening their time would be better spent considering their own standing before God.
The Book of Job is about a good man. Of him, God says, “There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
Yet God allows one tragedy after another to enter his life. Job lost everything — his health, his livestock, his wealth, even his 10 children. Painful sores covered his entire body. Life became so bad for Job that his wife told him to “curse God and die.”
As he sat in despair and agony, three of his friends came to “comfort” him. Not unlike some today who speculate about God’s judgment, they tell their friend his suffering must be due to some terrible sin he committed, and they urged him to repent.
Job refuses to accept that explanation. His sin did not bring about his suffering, but God never explains to Job what did.
Likewise, we will never know why the floodwaters came to Texas.
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.”
Romans puts it this way. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”
The Christian accepts the Sovereignty of God. It is God Who rules the universe, and believers know no matter how inscrutable it may be to us, whatever God decides is perfect and just.
The Christian believes “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” Out of the worst tragedies come the greatest blessings.
And because of King David’s testimony in 2 Samuel, believing parents can have confidence they will be reunited with children who predecease them. At this very moment, the children who perished in the Texas floodwaters are with the Lord in Heaven.
More than 120 people lost their lives in that flooding, at least 30 of them were children. Many people are still missing. I cannot imagine the pain and anguish those who loved them are feeling at the moment.
But God can. He understands their pain. He understands because grief is an emotion God experiences Himself.
God’s Spirit is grieved when a believer sins. Jesus grieved over the death of his friend, Lazarus. However painful, it is grief that connects us to the very heart of God.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
When a child dies, it is only natural to mourn, but Christians do not mourn as the world mourns. We have an eternal hope that the world does not have.
Death is not the end for those who are in Christ. Those who know Jesus look forward to the day when “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
In the meantime, believers need to pray for the people of Texas. God promises our prayers are not in vain. Our prayers make us part of God’s divine plan for those who are suffering. They serve to align our will with the will of God, they cause us to grow in our faith, and increase our capacity to experience God’s love.
Pray for the protection of those involved in the search and rescue efforts. May God guide their steps.
Pray for strength and provision for people who have lost everything.
Pray for discernment and wisdom for officials making decisions and directing activities.
Pray for communities to come together, to be there for one another, and to draw strength in their unity.
And pray for spiritual growth and resilience for those most affected by the disaster, that they may find strength and hope in their faith.
May the Lord wrap His loving arms around those who are currently overwhelmed and in despair, wherever they may be. May they hear the Lord whisper in their ears that He loves and cares for them. May each find the hope and peace that comes to those who place their faith in Christ.
The darker the night, the brighter the star. The deeper the grief, the closer is God! — Russian poet Apollon Maykov
Chris Roemer resides in Finksburg. He can be contacted at chrisroemer1960@gmail.com.
