Patience in the Face of Tragedy in Indiana

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Patience in the Face of Tragedy

 by Darris McNeely Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Photos.com

Patience in the Face of Tragedy

Here in southwest Ohio, an area often called “the tri-state” since it borders southern Indiana and northern Kentucky,we had our first wave of tornadoes last Friday afternoon. Powerful tornadoes touched down just south of my home and leveled some small towns in southern Indiana. Today the residents of those areas are picking up the pieces and relief efforts are underway.
The story of a fifteen month old little girl is the most tragic of all the stories that emerge from this event. She was found ten miles from the spot where she lived with her parents in a trailer. Both parents died in the storm and this little girl suffered severe brain trauma. She survived a couple of days but died yesterday. The poor girl was carried through the air and fell to earth in a field.
The reason I can't get this out of my mind is because I have a fifteen month old granddaughter. I can imagine the size and weight of this little girl who died. I can see the length of her hair and know that she must have been walking only a few months and probably had learned to climb stairs and pull things out of their place and run hesitantly around her home making loud noises. She was probably the delight of her family. Was she the first grandchild? Did she have a cute smile? How many words was she trying to form as everyone looked into her eyes and acted just plain silly to evoke a response from her?
Now all that is but a memory for those who knew her.
Your heart breaks when you stop to think of the horror of such a tragedy. The questions that always come at such a time now arise. “Where was God?” “Why did God allow this to happen to this innocent little girl and all the the other who died and suffered loss?”
I have been asked these questions many times through the years. Standing at the grave of infant children, middle aged men and those who died before their time - I have had to give an answer that somehow provides hope and satisfaction. At times no answer removes the pain of loss.
For any who come to this moment in life, these “descents into darkness”, have only one purpose in the end. It is to bring us closer to the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. We cannot know the answer to “why” in every case of suffering and tragedy in this life. There is simply too much within this so-called “vale of tears”. It overwhelms us when we try to consider. Many have abandoned any faith in God as a result of the evil and suffering in this world.
The one answer I have arrived at is this. Do not abandon God in your moment of suffering. Let it draw you to Him in a way no other event could do, Cry out to Him for grace and help. James writes to us, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have  its  perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing”. (James 1:2-4)
Patience is a key to eventually understanding why bad things happen to good people. It is a difficult virtue to build into our life, but if we can master this we stand on the threshold of greater understanding of this life and all its challenges.

God watched while this tornado bore down on a small trailer in southern Indiana and sucked a fifteen month old girl into its vortex. But He also has watched while every other unspeakable tragedy happened to every infant in history, and one day He will bring those children back to life and they will live to adulthood. The Bible teaches this comforting truth and it is sure. 

This truth does not remove the pain of the moment for those who remain and watch. But there will be a time when He will wipe away every tear and with it the lingering pain of memory. Let us pray for all at such a time the the the peace of God will comfort and encourage.

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  Darris McNeely

  Beyond Today Presenter

  Darris McNeely works at the United Church of God home office in Cincinnati, Ohio. He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 32 years. They have two sons, both married. Darris is the Associate Media Producer for the Church. He also is a guest instructor in Early Church History at the Ambassador Bible College. He enjoys hunting, travel and reading.
  

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Tornadoes, God & Hope

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

Tornadoes, God & Hope

 Did God cause the Oklahoma tornadoes? Is there hope?



[Steve Myers] Oklahoma's been devastated by tornadoes that have swept through not only Moore, Oklahoma, but throughout the Midwest. Destruction, death has followed. The challenge is how do we view these things. We see families grieving over the loss of their children.



What part does God have to play in that?



People can raise their fist at God and blame God for these things. They say, "Well, God must be wreaking His judgment upon these people." And yet that can't be the case. It can't be the case that it must be God's will that this destruction happened. And it can't be the case that it's just too difficult to understand. It's too mysterious and that this is all it's about.



When you look at these events we've got to understand that there are natural phenomenon, there's nature that happens. God did not cause this to happen. It doesn't mean that God's evil and that He brought this destruction upon the Midwest. Now He allowed it. Absolutely. And it helps us to realize that this is not God's world. And so as we pray for those people as we ask God to intervene for those that have been impacted by this, we want to come and help do what we can, and we need to do those things.



But at the same time if you're one of those shaking your fist at God and saying why, we realize there is more to the story. And God gives us just a little glimpse into that story in Isaiah 61:3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.



See All.... He says that this world isn't what it's all about. It gives us that insight into the future. He says, "To all who mourn in Israel, He'll give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for His own glory."



You see this points to a time when God will send Jesus Christ and this world will be a different place, a place of beauty, a place of joy, a place of blessing. And so in the meantime let's pray that God would establish His Kingdom. Let's pray for those that are affected by these storms - not only these storms but other devastating events in life so that we can look forward to those times that God will send joy and blessing and beauty.



So let's pray for that. Let's pray as Christ said, "Thy Kingdom come."



That's BT Daily . We'll see you next time.

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2011: The Year of Tumults

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

2011: The Year of Tumults





Massive natural, environmental and economic disasters have defined the first half of 2011. Bible prophecy identifies events like these as one of the identifying signs of the end times. Where will all these things lead?





Source: Photos.comJesus Christ predicted "earthquakes in various places" before His return to earth to set up the Kingdom of God. The Greek word translated "earthquakes" in the original language means "tumults," which can refer to any kind of environmental or human disaster.



So far 2011 has been a year of gargantuan natural tumults that have devastated broad areas of the world's greatest, most advanced nations and caused enormous global economic impact. In a virtually continuous explosion, today's headlines push out the headlines of last month's disasters before the full story is in on any one of them.



Massive flooding in Oceania

January's torrential rains and floods throughout the southern hemisphere inundated so much of Australia that government officials quickly acknowledged it as the greatest natural disaster in the nation's history. Queensland alone had floods the size of South Africa, with preliminary estimates of $10 billion in losses. That was without counting the impact on the enormous coal and coking operations, 90 percent of which were disrupted, and accounted for most of the immediate 20 percent rise in world coke prices. Coke is essential for manufacturing iron and steel products. Australia is the world's leading coal exporter.



As the floods spread south to New South Wales and Victoria provinces, the total area flooded was the combined size of Germany and France. The flood destroyed major parts of Brisbane, a metropolis much larger than New Orleans with scenes of devastation similar to Hurricane Katrina.



Simultaneously, 5,000 miles to the west, rains rampaged much of Sri Lanka's countryside, wiping out 21 percent of the rice crop. The same week, flash floods killed 626 in Brazil.



2011 defined by earthquakes

New Zealand's February earthquake flattened much of Christchurch, center of the region's population of 500,000. New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key observed, "We may be witnessing New Zealand's darkest day."



Japan's March 11th earthquake was the greatest in Japan's history and one of the greatest recorded in world history. The 24,000 death toll would have been much greater were it not for that nation's amazing social cohesion, high building standards, preparedness and ability to contain the ongoing nuclear disaster. But the 30-foot tsunami rolling over the coastal landscape is being followed by a tsunami of economic consequences for Japan and potential worldwide economic disruption.



Like a tsunami watch, analysts and central bankers are surveying the tides of capital flows, watching to see if the shock suddenly surfaces like a tsunami in capital markets in New York, London and the interconnected web of the global system of capital markets. Japan's earthquake disaster is far from over.



North America not excluded from disaster

April's outburst of tornadoes in the American South and Midwest is the most devastating in American history. In fact, the recent volume of tornado activity defies explanation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the official weather service of the United States and the most sophisticated on the planet. This April's total of more than 600 tornadoes far exceeds the monthly average of 125. On April 25th, there were 305 tornadoes in 24 hours, resulting in yet uncounted billions of dollars in damage and an estimated 100 deaths



The NOAA website states: "It should be noted, due to the extreme nature of the tornado activity this month, that it will take several months for the count of tornadoes and tornado-related fatalities/injuries to be finalized. Numbers reported here will likely change in the coming months. A special report on all of the extreme weather and climate conditions of April 2011 will be released by early summer 2011.''



The insurance industry is likely to sustain billions in losses from the disaster. But even this is only the beginning of economic impacts on the United States. As part of the weird North American weather pattern, excessive rainfall combined with continent wide snow melt has led to flooding in the vast Mississippi River system similar to Australia's in January, flooding millions of acres of prime cropland just as planting of essential grains was to be completed.



And most recently a massive tornado swept through the city of Joplin, Missouri, killing over 100 people and causing massive damage. While Joplin is no stranger to tornados, the size and ferocity of this one was both unusual and horrifying.



Where does this all end? This may only be the storm before an even bigger storm of geopolitics in the Middle East and Europe. The unprecedented scale of these natural disasters certainly constitutes "tumults" as Jesus predicted.



Throughout these events, millions have prayed daily for relief, bringing meaning to the words of Christ to His followers: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Before