Facing Death

I live in a suburb of Chicago that is quite charming. It is a town full of families, mostly quiet, everyone most people go to Church on Sundays, neighbors know each other...a kind of 'Lake Wobegon' type place, if you're familiar with Garrison Keillor's idyllic town, or Mayberry if Andy Griffith is more your speed. Keillor described Lake Wobegon as a place where "all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average."

Just this morning, we found out that tragedy has once again touched our community - in the form of a car accident, which claimed the life of a 16-year-old girl, with one of her classmates in critical condition. Almost a year ago today, we mourned the death of our close friend's 5-year-old boy. I had seen grief before, but never like that. I had asked God questions before, but never like those. When adults die, we can at least make sense of it - but children?

How do we face death, particular tragic death? My question this morning was, 'how do we deal with the feeling that life was cut short, while also simultaneously knowing that God not only knows the number of hairs on our head (Luke 12:7), but is also the one who has numbered our days?' (Job 14:5) Another thought that quickly followed that thought was, 'is this a function of our time and place in history?' 125 years ago, the mortality rate for children under 5 was something like 30% (source). Today, it's 1.4%, and honestly, that figure feels high. Do we have such trouble confronting this sort of tragedy because of the simple fact that it is so rare in today's modern age? Food for thought, I don't want to go down that rabbit hole.

Do we believe that God is in control? Do we believe that God knows what He's doing? Do we believe that God is good? The tragedy of a child's death, or watching friends/family go through intense grief as a result of a child dying, makes you really ask these questions...and not just in a theoretical work-out kind of way, but in a real serious kind of way. At the root of those questions is the question, 'do I actually believe God to be who He says He is?'

Scripture tells us that God is aware of our suffering and pain. In Genesis 16, Hagar, Abraham's servant who has fled because of Sarah's cruelty - encounters the angel of the Lord. She then give God the name "El Roi" or "the God who sees me". Other verses throughout Scripture suggest that God is near when suffering is at its highest:

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18)

"God is our strong refuge, he is truly our helper in time of trouble. For this reason we do not fear when the earth shakes, and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, when its waves crash and foam, and the mountains shake before the surging sea." (Psalm 46:1-3)

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, God, you will not despise." (Psalm 51:17)

"Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

That first verse is so powerful - nearness to God is communion with God. God not only sees us, but joins us in our broken-heartedness.

I'll end with this - I was thinking about Jesus and Lazarus this morning (John 11). Jesus is away with his disciples and gets word that his dear friend Lazarus has died. After some time, he comes to join Mary and Martha and asks to see where Lazarus is buried. When he sees where Lazarus is buried, he weeps. Why does Jesus cry? I don't think he's crying for Lazarus, the text makes it clear that Jesus knew He was going to bring him back to life. Instead, I think Jesus is moved to tears by the suffering he is witnessing in his friends, particularly Mary and Martha. Jesus' compassion for their genuine suffering and pain is what moves him to tears. I believe that He not only sees our pain, but that he cares about us in that pain. This is the kind of God we are following. God is good, He knows what He is doing, and He is in control. Even in times of deep pain and suffering, we can know these things to be true, and also know that God sees us, and draws near to us, in those moments.