Why Does God Allow Tragedies Like Camp Mystic?
The Bible gives us the answers.
In the early morning hours, 27 Mystic campers and staff died from the tragic flash flood in Texas.
Being a Christian camp, their purpose was to help girls grow spiritually.
So, why would God allow this to occur?
He was aware even as those girls hugged goodbye to their parents for the final time.
The loss is heartbreaking, even for us who had never heard of the camp or knew any of the people affected.
How can a loving God let it happen when He has the power to stop it?
It’s one of life’s biggest questions: “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
Creation is fallen - the world we live in has tornadoes, fires, etc. Genesis 7 describes the flood in Noah’s day that killed the world’s population except the 8 members of his family. Many children died that day.
Evil exists in our world. Presently, God allows Satan and his demons to have a limited amount of power. (Ephesians 6:11, 2 Corinthians 11:14) This can be very heavy at times, but there is hope in the midst of it all.
Job is an example from the Bible to help us understand. He was a righteous man who had much heartache and tragedy brought into his life.
Job had many questions for God. He tried to understand why God allowed all of his heartache and trials.
God responds to Job’s questions by asking a few of His own:
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? (Job 38:4)
Have you ever commanded the morning? (Job 38:12)
Are you in charge of the stars and all their constellations? (Job 38:31)
Job responded to God:
“I know that You can do everything,
And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.”
Job 42:2 (NKJV)
God is sovereign, and He is in control at all times. We won’t fully understand His plan because we are only human.
We don’t have all the answers because we do not know everything God knows.
You either believe in the God who is in complete control of evil, or you believe evil is in control of God.
We focus on what we know:
God is sovereign. (Colossians 1:16)
God allows bad things to happen to the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:45)
God deserves praise in the good and the bad. (Job 1:21)
Dear Lord, may those who are hurting from this tragedy
feel your presence and peace today.
As a Texan, a father of two daughters, a grandfather of two granddaughters, and the brother of a sister who was tragically killed at the age of 12, this has brought me to tears more than once. But it is these very kind of circumstances that we either walk by faith or not. And Paul reminds us to "give thanks IN all circumstances," not for the circumstances but for the One who, as you astutely point out Kate, is sovereign in all circumstances. I'll be 70 next month, and God's ways and thoughts continue to amaze me. Thankfully, He is not a "what-if" God, He is an "even-if" faithful God.
Thank you, Kate. I have been holding on to verses like John 16:33 this week. His promise is not that life will be trouble-free, it is that He will be with us in trouble. I mourn for all the families impacted by this flooding and for all the helpers and the danger and tragedy they experience. But I am so thankful for those helpers - they show the good in this world.