Where is God when it hurts?
“Where is our God? Where is our God? Where is our God in Whom we trust?
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Renew our faith in Thee O Lord.
Help us Thy way, Thy deeds and words to accept always,
Even when we understand not mortal men
We know there must be a purpose for all thy deeds so mysterious.
Teach us Thy ways lest ask we must
Where is our God in Whom we trust?”
Captain J. H. Menson (1928 – 2014)
This week we are a nation in mourning. The fire accident at the Goil Petrol Station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and the natural Accra floods of June 3 and June 4 have caused one of the biggest havocs the capital city has ever experienced.
About 150 people died in this tragedy. People have suddenly lost their loved ones to fire or flood; family and friends are gone. Grief has engulfed the city and country. We are a nation in mourning!
Some of the pictures and images of the fire and flood victims are very sad and heart breaking.
A classic image I saw was a nursing mother lying dead with her back on the ground and her two arms clung to her baby, also dead, on her chest.
The torrents of flood would not separate her baby from her. Both lay cold in death!
I bit my lips in pain and weeping, could hardly take a second look at some of those pictures. It was very sad and painful to see trucks being loaded with corpses!
A few hours earlier, they had been active citizens of our city community. Accident fire and flood disaster struck and they were gone.
The salutary action of our security services gave help to those hanging between life and death while they cleared and stored the dead bodies.
Suddenly, we are left a city and a country in grief and pain.
What is our response as people living in Ghana, as people of faith, as believers in Jesus Christ?
We lisp in prayer:
“Comfort Ye
Comfort Ye my people”
Comfort O God
Comfort O God your people, the people of Ghana
Almighty God
Trial and grief has bitten your people sour
Though Satan, fire and flood should buffet;
Though trials and grief should come
Let the blest assurance control,
That Christ had regarded our helpless estate
And will grant us comfort
So Lord God,
Rise with your soothing balm of Gilead
And bring comfort to your people,
Lord Jesus,
Please place your wounded hands on the wounded hearts of the bereaved families, in particular,
And on all your people across the city and country.
Holy Spirit, the Comforter Divine
We pray you will exercise your deepest ministry of divine comfort to our most grieving and bereaved families
Father God,
Please! Move men and women, companies and churches,
That they will give practical support to the victims in time of grief and pain
And Oh, Sovereign Lord, Almighty God,
When we are tempted to ask
“Where is our God in whom we trust? Renew our faith, encourage our hearts, make fresh hope come alive in our spirits – through the great grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
Amen.
(The author is a Leadership Development and Cross-cultural Ministries Consultant, an International, conference speaker and formerly General Director / CEO of Scripture Union Ghana. Email: [email protected] / [email protected])