Where Was God This Week?

Our country has been in mourning this past week. The loss of so many members of the Humboldt Bronco’s hockey team in Saskatchewan has taken the air out of the lungs of every Canadian, everywhere. The shock has held the hearts of everyone into our throats to the point of making it hard to breathe. I’ve read and heard emotional statements that range from condolence to criticism. I’ve even read the proverbial question in a situation like this. “Where was God in all of this?” This is a valid question in times of stress and grief.

I asked the same thing when my father passed away. Well, God showed me a few years later that He was with my father as He welcomed him into Heaven, releasing him from the pain of the cancer that beat his body. God was also with our family in a way that only He could be. He allowed us to cry, and cry out to Him, then He showed us that what dad had to leave behind, was much stronger than we knew. It was each other.

Be assured that God was with all of those on the team bus from the time it departed, through the impact, and beyond as He carried them to Heaven to their rooms in His mansion. Even now He remains with the ones that are in the hospital. He is with all the families, who are grieving, and with those who support them. He is with the driver of the truck, who is now living with the nightmare that will remain with him for life, regardless of the cause or circumstance. As terrible as this is, this event has galvanized Canada like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It has caused families of all sports teams to realize how precious life is and perhaps has pulled each other closer. God did not cause, or allow this accident to happen. He does not toy with mankind this way. Yet, He has caused our country to come to a place of loving each other just a bit more than we did a week ago. The gestures of support are genuine, and not people jumping on a social media bandwagon. He was present during the tribute service in the hometown rink, and will be present with His hand on every casket that will be carried.

He is also in all of our own situations as some of us face having to say good-bye to a loved one who is suffering. He is with our family members, even the ones who do not acknowledge Him. He is with you in your own failings, and victories, and He will be the one who opens your eyes tomorrow morning, either here on Earth, or in Heaven with Him.

To the question about where God is in all of this. The answer is, He is everywhere, and all over, holding the hands and hearts of the ones left behind, and He won’t let go. In Hebrews 13:5 He tells us all that He will never leave us, nor forsake us. That is where God is and will be.

Mike Shindruk

www.mastershandministry.blogspot.ca