Nothing Can Separate Us

Romans 8 reminds us of God's presence, even in the midst of evil and tragedy:
5 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  God's love is greater than tragedy.  You hear so many testimonies of how at the lowest point of someone's life, when there was nowhere else to turn, that person turned to Jesus, and He is so faithful to meet us at the point of our need.   We are undeserving of His love and His faithfulness, but He chooses to redeem and restore, bringing us into a relationship with Himself.   When tragedy comes, when questions arise, we can seek God, we can meet with Him, and we can experience the good that He wants to bring, even in the face of evil.   2 Corinthians 4 gives us a greater view, a "God's-eye" view of what He can accomplish through our suffering:15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  
Over the weekend, I think there were many who were wrestling with the theater tragedy in Aurora, Colorado, as we contemplate the nature of evil and the goodness of God.

A few thoughts I had about some of the issues involved:
- God is not the author of evil.   And this shooter was not inspired by the Lord to commit heinous acts.   When we begin to think about the nature of evil and the root causes of suffering, we realize that we live in a world where sin reigns, and the world needs the redemption that comes through Christ.   But, apart from Almighty God, we are bent on committing evil acts.
- It is interesting how we characterize some acts as being evil - and they are...such as the massacre in Aurora, the 9-11 attacks, mass murders, the Penn State situation.   No matter what some people's religious bent, these are viewed as deplorable acts.   But, there are other acts that seem to get a pass these days.   Humans regard sin in levels, and tend to rank sins, but God regards all sin as contrary to His law and punishable by death.   We are all capable, because of our flesh, our sin nature, of unspeakable evil, but because of the redemptive power of Christ, individually and culturally, we can exercise restraint.  
- We need one another, and community can bring healing in the aftermath of tragedy.   The people in Aurora are beginning to cope with the situation, through memorial services, through opportunities for the community to come together, through ministry that is being carried out.   As people move forward, the support of others can be critical.
- Finally, we live in a fallen world, and while sometimes trouble comes as the result of men and women living out their sinfulness, or even because of natural disasters that come because of the imperfection of this world, we can know that God can bring good out of them - so often we ask, "why did this happen?", but the right question is, "what does the Lord want to do in me as I respond to suffering?" and "what can He do in a community or group of people?".   So we can move from the "why?" to the "what?" questions.

Lee Strobel said this, quoted in The Christian Post:
"it's important for people to understand that God is not the creator of evil and suffering; that even though suffering isn't good, God can use it to accomplish good; that the day is coming when suffering will cease and God will judge evil; that our suffering will pale in comparison to what God has in store in eternity for His followers; and that we need to decide whether to turn bitter or turn to God for peace and courage."

God is SO faithful, and He desires to make Himself known for our good and His glory.