It’s been less than three weeks since Hurricane Helene.
By now, most people are aware of the terrible destruction in the mountains of Appalachia (primarily Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia) brought on by unimaginable amounts of rain (some estimates are 40 trillion gallons) followed by high winds from a stalled Hurricane Helene. Our home is approximately an hour and a half from some of the areas that were significantly affected. Our community has moved mountains of supplies and continues to send volunteers to help but so much more assistance is needed.
As I go through my day, I am more acutely aware of how much I have to be thankful for and how fragile life is. Bathing my child in clean water is a luxury; deciding which item to cook for dinner, a privilege; being able to drive a vehicle to get allergy medicine—things that many people just two hours away are unable to do, is a blessing. This loss and level of desperation is something I’ve experienced on medical mission trips, but now it is here—in my own backyard.
Suddenly, there is this continued sense of “heaviness” in my heart. I grieve for those who have lost people. Entire communities have been wiped out by mudslides and fast-flowing water. So many people are missing. Bodies have yet to be discovered and are becoming less and less recognizable as the days go on. So much sadness. Our country was divided before this and now there are those using this tragedy for their own purposes. My heart can’t help but to wonder, “Where is God in all of this heaviness, destruction, and ugliness?”
During times like this, I find Psalm 77 comforting. The author is raw. He writes, “I cried out to God with my voice…My soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.”
Wow. I read this and thought, “Did someone forget to edit this??” Like, hello? He just said, “I remembered God and was troubled” with his “outside” voice, then wrote it down in the BIBLE! Did God forget to proofread this part before it went to the stone-chisel guys???
Friends, I’m continually learning one thing about God—He is big enough. He can handle our pain. He can handle our unedited emotions. The language of Lament is not only human, but it’s Biblical. He WANTS us to bring Him our unfiltered pain. When we bring our hard questions to Him, that is an exercise of faith. We are acknowledging His presence, even when we may never understand the “Why.”
Verse 8 of Psalm 77 says, “Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore?” These hard questions emerge from impossible circumstances and unbearable pain. We don’t know what the Psalmist was going through. But if you’ve lived long enough on this earth, you are likely able to relate in some way. We were not created to live in a fallen world filled with the consequences and pain of sin.
We cannot handle the heaviness of sin on our own.
Just like so many mountain roads and bridges collapsed under the weight of so much water, we were never intended to carry this weight. Through His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus provided us with the hope of an eternal, perfect life after this one. But that wasn’t where His love stopped. We can take our daily pain to Him and find comfort in knowing He is still in control. Even when the terrible storms of life seem the opposite of His loving nature, we can trust that He is bigger. He has given us His Word to comfort us and has taught us how to develop the attitudes to live in victory amidst the pain.
I don’t pretend to understand the “Why” of this tragedy. So many things feel senseless to me. However, I am continuing to work at taking those hard things to God and reminding myself of His goodness in my life. Reminding myself that He is still in control.
Please continue to pray for all of those affected by Helene. Hug your loved ones just a little tighter, and remember that God is able to help you through whatever storms you are facing!
2 Responses
God is indeed big enough. He is the ultimate provider.
Amen sister!