Faith Fisticuffs: Providence, Pain, & Perspective

In chapter thirteen of his gospel, Luke recounts an incident where a group of people ask Jesus about two recent tragedies. One involves a group of Galilean Jews who were brutally murdered while offering their sacrifices in the temple. The second calamity involved a tower falling and killing eighteen men. The question in the minds of the crowd then is the same question we still ask today. Why?

¹ There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? ³ I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5, New King James Version)

It is believed by many that disasters and tragedies are always the result of divine displeasure over a particular sin. It is true that we reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7-8) and God disciplines all His children for their own good (Heb. 12:10-11), but this is not always the cause of affliction. The prevalent worldview of karma makes sense to the natural, unregenerate mind. It assumes that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. This is the basis of works based salvation. In the passage from Luke, Christ challenged this notion. The victims of these tragedies were not greater sinners. They were not guiltier and more deserving of punishment. Jesus warned His listeners to repent because these tragedies could happen to anyone at anytime. God uses tragedies to remind us that we are mere mortals, a vapor that appears for a little time then vanishes (James 4:14).

Tragedy, pain, and suffering characterize the common condition of man (1 Pet. 5:9). Young and old, strong and weak, learned and unlearned, time and chance happen to us all (Eccl. 9:11). The rain falls on the evil and the good alike (Matt. 5:45). We live in a sin-cursed, sin-stained fallen world, and the effects are evident all around us.

As believing men and women, we have a problem of perspective. We know that God works all things together for good (Rom. 8:28). We have assurance in the power, love, and providence of God. But the problem is that we can’t always see from down here. We see through a glass dimly (1 Cor. 13:12 ). We feel the agony and pain and wonder “Where is God’s providence in this situation?” Our finite mind cannot understand because our perspective is limited.

It is at these times that we walk by faith and not by sight ( 2 Cor. 5:7 ). This is where the rubber meets the road; the litmus test of the soil of the heart. All we can do is to continue to trust in the Lord. We must trust that His providence is on our side. We must trust that even when our faith is weak, He remains faithful (2 Tim. 2:13). We must take confidence in the promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). We must believe that God is in control of the evil intentions and tragedies of this world and will redirect them for His good purpose (Gen. 50:20). We must have faith that He holds the future and that after we have suffered for a little while in this current world, the God of all peace will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish us (1 Pet. 5: ).