After Orlando: A Believer’s Response to Tragedy

The massacre of fifty people at an Orlando night club is a horror story. Unless you are emotionally numb, you ought to feel incredible sorrow when hearing about the victims. And as you learn about the gunman's perverted views on the value of life, you should feel some sense of revulsion.

But is it enough to feel anger or empathy? Isn't there something we ought to do? How should believing people respond to tragedies like the one in Orlando? What should our words look and sound like in the wake of disaster? How do we bear witness to the hope of Jesus Christ when folks are torn by grief and fear?

Here are three biblical responses to tragedy.

1. Be present and be silent.

Job's personal disaster would make headlines in our world today. Job was a leading figure in his society, one of the wealthiest and largest employers around. Yet in one fell swoop, Job experienced a terrorist attack and natural calamity rolled into one. He lost all his family (except his wife), his workers and his property in a rapid-fire series of mind-boggling events.

Job was understandably desolate and inconsolable. His three God-fearing friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, heard the news of Job’s great loss (Job 2). What did they do? How did they respond? They came and were present with Job. For seven days and seven nights, they sat with him. And what did they say? No one spoke a word. They were silent, because they saw how much he was suffering.

Why do so many believers feel the need to make what to them sound like profound comments in the wake of disasters—comments that sadly come across as naïve or obnoxious? After Orlando, should a Christian’s first impulse be to blame the gun lobby or defend their guns? Should believers try to provoke additional panic and terror about the spread of Islamic extremism? That’s not what Job’s friends did. They just came and sat quietly by their friend. When they did eventually open their mouths after seven days, what they shared was regrettable.

Here’s a thought. Instead of making lots of noise, try practicing the power of presence and silence. Is your friend or neighbor grieving right now? Go and silently sit with them.

2. Focus on personal repentance.

One of the many questions put before Jesus dealt with a regional tragedy. The Romans apparently massacred a group of Galileans. We assume this was a show of imperial might to beat down any hint of insurgency, but we don't know the details. We only for sure know that it was a tragedy, and that some folks asked Jesus about it (Luke 13).

How did Jesus respond to their question? What answer did he give to explain this sad loss of life? He said that none of the victims deserved their fate more than anyone else. Instead of judging or defending them, worry about yourself. Repent. Examine yourself. Change your ways.

I can't believe that some so-called believers use catastrophes as platforms for their own personal agendas. A few bad apples give us all a black eye. One Sacramento pastor dedicated his Sunday sermon to praising the killer as "having made Orlando a safer place by killing child molesters." Dude, you seriously need to look in the mirror and repent.

So here's a thought. Instead of rushing to judge the victims or even make them into saints, judge yourself. No one is promised a long life, so focus on the need for personal change. Use tragedy as a moment for personal reflection and repentance.

3. Pray

Paul experienced some unbelievable personal tragedies. He was arrested, beaten, left for dead, shipwrecked, bitten by a viper and mercilessly ridiculed. Folks who loved and appreciated Paul must have been horrified at what he went through.

Believers often (mis)quote Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 10:13. They assume from this text that God will never allow believers to go through more than they can bear. Folks who lean on this verse have clearly never read 2 Corinthians 1:8 where Paul writes, "We were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself." Sounds to me as if Paul had more than he could bear. His life (and the lives of those with him) was a living calamity.

Paul goes on to write that one thing got him through. Well, I mean the power of God obviously sustained him. But there was one human thing that he describes as a charismatic or spiritual gift (Gk: charisma) that was his lifeline. In other words, people did something that made a real difference.

What was this gift that helped him survive an unbearable, crushing burden? He may not have even known about it at the time, but in retrospect he could clearly see it. It was the prayer of other believers. He reflects on this: "On God we have set our hope that he will rescue us again, as you also join in helping us by your prayers, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the gift granted us through the prayers of many" (2 Cor 1:10b-11). Prayer is a spiritual gift that can combine with God’s power to help rescue people from the pit of despair.

So here's one last thought. Instead of trying to do something or say something, what if you realized the potential power of prayer? What if you just fell to your knees to ask the Father to help those trapped in the deadliest of disasters?

Believing people could do a lot worse than to trust in these three biblical responses to disaster. Be present and be silent. Focus on personal repentance. And pray. It might help those in need. And perhaps even more importantly in our day and time, it might help repair the damaged reputation of believing people who too often have done and said the wrong things to their friends and neighbors.