This blog was originally written in September 2017 after the wake of Hurricane Marie. But the statements in this post still stand true as the world grapples with Covid-19. I thought I'd repost and share.
I cried this morning.
I'm sure you're thinking...strange Obioma, why are you crying.
As I drove to school, I caught up on news about the victims of hurricane Marie, over 3 million people without power. Food is running out, clean water is running out, the temperatures are stifling, tropical while millions languish without A.C.
As a Floridian, it's easy to think about someone else's tropical storm and be de-sensitized, but this news truly broke me.
All I could think was "Oh, God" as I wept quietly while driving.
I didn't dare ask 'Why God' because I've learned that asking God why is not a task for the faint of heart. Job tried it, and was essentially told by the Creator that he was too human to understand. The Lord beautifully sums it up by inquiring of the mortal Job--
"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Job 38:4
There are some things I whole heartedly believe God doesn't owe us an answer for: Death, natural disaster, human failure to name a few.
Sometimes if we've been in church long enough, we have an understanding that sin is usually the cause, maybe we dare to quote the famous scripture,Matthew 5:45
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
It's reassuring to know that bad and good things happen to everyone, whether or not they follow God.
Ultimately, even with all the church knowledge we have, it is not comforting to imagine millions of people suffering against their will. It doesn't take away the sting of the natural storms, or the storms of life.
So I didn't ask God why.
I asked Him for help.
Sometimes we get so caught up in the problem, we loose sight that we have The Solution.
I'm a firm believer in the fact that there's no worst feeling than helplessness.
Helplessness is powerlessness in it's ultimate form.
It's the feeling that takes away all hope.
It tells you that you have no power in the situation, so why try.
Helplessness leaves you feeling sorry for yourself.
It will throw a pity party of one while life's worries silently suffocate you.
Helplessness is far from fun.
But I know from whom my help comes from.
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of Heaven and Earth psalms 121:2
Sometimes all you can do is ask God for help and wait for him to do what he does best: save. So while in my humanity I can't think of how we can immediately save 3 million people in Puerto Rico, I know that my prayers are moving the hand of the One who can.
I do my part by lifting my voice to heaven, and donating where I can, then I trust God to do the rest.
If you're loosing hope, or afraid to ask God why, then as Him for Help.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalms 46:1
all my love,
Obioma