A Book for Tragedy: Christ and Calamity

    Recently our church body has been hit by waves of tragedies and unexpected deaths.  Personally I have found it difficult to have faith in God’s goodness and grace as I witness and experience the pain of suffering and loss.  It is easy for questions and doubts to surface, especially ones that start with “God, why?”

    When 崇原’s mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, we asked for advice from our friend who is an oncological pathologist.  We were desperately looking for a medical answer or some hope that he could give us from his expertise. However, his immediate response was not a treatment plan.  He mailed us a short book called Christ and Calamity: Grace and Gratitude in the Darkest Valley (恩典記號--死蔭幽谷中的蒙福印記). The thesis of the book is that Jesus and tragedy go together and we can turn to Him in the middle of our suffering.  Because Jesus suffered and died, He knows our struggles and does not hide Himself from the darkness. Instead, Jesus is like an emergency worker who rushes toward the wounded and dying; He comes alongside us in our distress.  Our doctor friend knew that what we needed the most was Jesus, not his medical advice.

    It is comforting simply to know that we are not alone in our suffering and that Jesus moves towards us and not away from us.  However, often this promise does not feel true.  God feels distant, and our own faith seems like a tiny faltering flame ready to be extinguished by the lightest wind.  Senkbeil acknowledges this reality, and therefore encourages us to not focus on the strength of our own faith or sense of God’s presence. Instead, we focus on the object of our faith—on Jesus, His word, and the promises of God.  When we anchor ourselves in God’s faithfulness, the amount of faith we have does not matter.  Our faith can rise and fall, but God’s promises remain unchanging. 

    For me, making God’s promises the focal point lifts a big burden off of me.  In times of darkness, I often tend to avoid God because I think that I don’t have enough faith; I’m afraid to cry out to Him because I feel like He does not like my anger, sadness, or questions.  However, God encourages us to express our pain to Him in lament.  Just like when we go to the doctor and tell him our symptoms, we can similarly call God’s attention to what He already knows.  His word promises to bring us comfort, and His word never returns empty.  When we doubt in God’s grace and goodness, we can rely on God’s word instead of our own thinking.  Senkbeil constantly reiterates the power of God’s word—His word is not like the words of comfort that we give to each other.  Just like in the creation of the world when God’s word spoke things into being, God’s word makes things happen, so when he promises to lift our burdens, He actually does it.  His words are active promises that are constantly living and working through Jesus.

    Senkbeil ends the book with a beautiful blessing.  He writes, “If you live in fear or dread, if you’re coping with loss or grief, if ever you contend with suffering or uncertainty, here’s God’s sure and certain promise, tailor-made for you:  ‘After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.  To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:10-11).’”