Not WHY but WHO

Last night I heard the kind of "news" you never want to hear. The young son of a precious couple in our church died in a tragic accident yesterday afternoon. The initial impact of that kind of news seems to steal the breath right out of your lungs and make your heart stand still.

The friend who called to tell me said through tears, "I just don't understand why things like this happen." Neither do I. Neither do you. The truth is, no one does. We live in a fallen world where tragedies will always happen. And they will often happen to wonderful Christian people who love the Lord with all their hearts and live for Him daily; as is the case in this situation. In our humanity, we all ask "Why?" and struggle to find some meaningful explanation. I suppose we think knowing "why" would bring us comfort. But would it?

I stole the title for this post from another blog. Kelly's Korner has been one of my favorite blogs since I began reading it last January when Kelly's baby girl, Harper, was born critically ill. Kelly and her husband, Scott, are another committed Christian couple who love the Lord with all their hearts and live for Him daily. Kelly uses her blog continually to share her faith in Christ and to encourage, bless and pray for others. She struggled with infertility, finally conceived and had an idyllic pregnancy and delivery only to give birth to a beautiful baby girl who was quickly whisked away to a NICU and given a grim prognosis. Countless readers who loved Kelly (along with her many friends and family) asked "Why?" Why did this happen?

Kelly's dad is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Flippin, Arkansas. He writes his own blog and kept Kelly's readers updated on Harper's progress while she was in NICU. He wrote "Not WHY but WHO" a few days after Harper was born. The following is a paragraph from that post that I found profoundly comforting.

For the child of God, the "why" is never the right question. The real question should be "who?" Who is going to get the glory in this situation. Who is the One that should be the focus of our attention. After all 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Therefore, whether you eat or
drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

I have prayed most of the night for this family in my church. God reminded me of the above quote in the early morning hours. I'm trying not to ask WHY but WHO. Who will comfort these grieving parents? None but Jesus. Who will sustain them with grace sufficient to endure the days to come? None but Jesus. Who will heal the emotional wounds of the siblings left behind? None but Jesus. Who will enable fellow believers to minister to this family? None but Jesus. Who will somehow take the horror of this situation and use it to ultimately bring glory to God? None but Jesus.

Please pray for J.J. and Melanie Jasper and their three daughters as they learn to grieve the loss of beautiful little blonde haired Cooper who is now in the arms of - none but JESUS.