By Rev. Lyndan Syiem
The horrific accident on February 26 near Nongspung has exacted a heavy toll on the three West Khasi Hills villages of Mawbyrkong, Nongbudum and Nginïong: Eighteen dead and sixty one injured, many of them maimed for life is a horrible plight. They were travelling to the KJP Synod Sepngi Youth meeting at Nonglang when the truck carrying them smashed into the divider along the new Shillong-Nongstoiñ highway.
Elsewhere, churchgoers were as usual preparing for the midday service at their local churches. As the news flashed across social media platforms, there was shock and disbelief. In the 175 year history of the Presbyterian Church in the Khasi Jaintia Hills, there had never been such a terrible accident en route to a church gathering. Those at Nonglang mourned and shed tears as Rev. Dr. M.J. Hynñiewta led in a solemn prayer for the bereaved families and for the injured. Those back home also offered prayers. The next day we all saw the headlines and the shocking visuals. By all accounts, the various government departments and the local villagers did a commendable job in ferrying the injured to hospitals and in transporting the dead. For most families, organizing funerals was impossible as many of their relatives were severely injured. The Khasi newspapers reported how pastors, elders, deacons and women leaders of Myrïaw Presbytery, to which the deceased belonged, gallantly performed and assisted in mass funerals on Monday.
The injured are still lodged in various hospitals, in Shillong and Nongstoiñ. They need our urgent help. The reckless driver of the truck has deservedly been slapped with five charges. Inquiries and preventive measures will follow, but these are beyond my expertise to comment upon. My primary concern here is to address the questions that many people, within the church and without, are asking:
(1) Where is God in the midst of such tragedy? (2) Why didn’t God protect those innocent churchgoers? (3) Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? (4) Why doesn’t God, if he is truly good, banish evil and suffering from this world?
These are difficult questions. But there are credible answers. In line with my training and vocation, I venture to answer from a theistic, specifically biblical, perspective.
- God is always with his people, yes, even in the midst of such tragedy. God has revealed himself as Immanuel, “God with us,” not just in peaceful and prosperous circumstances but also amidst troubles and trials. One of the most compelling self-descriptions of Jesus is that of the “good shepherd;” not the hired hand who runs away when a wolf attacks but the good shepherd who “lays down his life for the sheep.” I often encourage the sick and suffering in my congregation, “if Jesus willingly gave up his life as a sacrifice on the Cross, will he leave you stranded in the midst of your problems?” Therefore to the question, “Where is God?” the biblical answer is, “At the Cross.”
Scripture assures us that God knows firsthand what it is to sorrow and to suffer. Through the Incarnation, when God became human, Jesus experienced all the difficulties and disappointments of human existence. Therefore his is the comforting presence of one who has run through the gauntlet of suffering and sorrow but came out victorious. His is also the empowering presence of one who by his resurrection defeated sin and death. Best of all he has promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
- One of greatest struggles of theologians is to reconcile the paradox of human free will with God’s sovereignty. Was the accident the driver’s fault or was it pre-ordained by God? Scripture teaches that God gave the same free will to the truck driver as well to us, whether to drive carefully or recklessly. It depends upon us whether we use our free will for good or for bad, for gain or for loss. But Scripture also teaches that God already knows all possible outcomes and has already made contingency plans for the future.
If that is so, why didn’t God pre-empt the rash driving by a miracle or by rearranging circumstances to save the 79 victims from injury and death? … In what is known as Providence, God as Preserver is always at work to prevent and pre-empt even worse accidents and disasters. I personally believe that in the 175 years of the Presbyterian Church, through the thousands of massive gatherings where people travelled from all over the Khasi Jaiñtia Hills, it was the providential hand of God that protected us from unimaginable tragedies. If you tally all the instances of rash driving and highway blunders and compare them with the relative paucity of major accidents, you will sense something or Someone protecting cars from pile-ups and from plunging into gorges.
So why didn’t this all-powerful God grant his customary protection to those churchgoers on that truck on the 26th morning? I do not know the specific reasons and neither can anyone else this side of heaven. But in general I contend that if God allows anything bad to happen, it means that ultimately he has a good purpose. The basis for such a sweeping contention is, among other texts, Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
You may well ask: “What good can come out of six children being orphaned in that horrific accident?” This question, in all its specificity, I cannot answer. Because this is the point where reason and certainty no longer sustain us and we must subsist on faith. We must believe that the God who uttered such a bold promise is capable of bringing ultimate good out of immediate bad, eternal purpose out of earthly suffering.
- Matthew 5:45 implies that both good and bad things happen to everyone, whether they are good people or bad people. That you are a believer or that you are travelling to a church service does not exempt you from troubles and trials. The Apostle Peter wrote: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.” And in John 16:33 Jesus warned his followers: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
I do not mean that the Christian life is full of trouble and pain. Because God’s preferred method of dealing with us is through provision, protection and healing. But there are times when God in his wisdom allows pain, suffering and even persecution. In James 1:2-5, we read that trials develop in us perseverance, and lead us to completeness and maturity. Not surprisingly, this is not a very popular passage. But it is there in the Bible and in times of tragedy it lifts us to a higher viewpoint, it offers spiritual stability and comfort.
Please note above that I did not use the word “send” but “allow,” because Scripture teaches exactly that. God does not willingly “send” pain and suffering but in his sovereignty, he “allows” them. To argue otherwise is to imply that God has lost control over this world. But if God is really in control, then Theism has to answer this uncomfortable question: “Why would a good God allow suffering?” … Either he is not powerful enough to prevent suffering or he is not really good.
The biblical explanation is that this is a fallen world where sin and suffering persist; it is not at its perfect best, it is not as God created it and meant it to be. But one day it will be restored to its original perfection: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4) This is the end-time hope offered in Scripture. But the nagging question still remains: “If so, why doesn’t an all-powerful, perfectly-good God fulfil all his end-time promises of restoration and renewal right now, this very moment?”
- The brief answer is “because the time for the end has not yet arrived.” As with the other Semitic religions, the Bible teaches a linear view of history, that there will be the final reckoning, the final defeat of sin and evil. But till then we are to patiently await God’s perfect timing. We read in Jesus’ famous parable of the wheat among the weeds about the interweaving of good and evil in this world. When the servants suggested immediate pulling out the weeds, the master replied: “No, lest while you gather up the weeds you also uproot the wheat with them.”
The point is this. If God were to uproot right now all that is sinful and evil, which is the cause of pain and suffering in this world, he would also necessarily have to uproot all people from their present existence. Since there is not even one person who is perfectly righteous but that everyone has fallen short of God’s righteous standards, therefore eliminating suffering would entail eliminating virtually everyone. But because “he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance,” (II Peter 3:9) therefore God tarries until the final reckoning. Meanwhile he calls us to repentance and faith.
Finally, we offer condolences to the bereaved families at Mawbyrkong, Nongbudum and Nginïong and pray for the recovery of the injured. May the eighteen who died with faith in their hearts receive their eternal rest. But it is not enough for us to conclude just with discussing these matters. We must stand up against evil, sin and suffering. What better way to do this than to help those 61 who are still recovering in hospitals and at home. And not just these February 26 victims, but to help all our fellow human beings whose lives have been ravaged by disease, violence and neglect.