When our world is shaken and our securities undermined, it is very hard to trust God. We all question how a loving and caring God could allow such disasters to occur. And, of course, there are no easy answers. But the fact that there are no easy answers does not mean that God is absent from these situations or that we cannot catch glimpses of God’s shalom in the midst of them.
Entering into the shalom of God often requires us to keep seeking God and believing in God’s ways even when we doubt that God could possibly be present. But we need to keep seeking, and believing and counting our blessings and the blessings of all who are caught in these tragic circumstances.
… In the midst of disaster, strangers become neighbours. Across barriers of class, race and religion, people are willing to put their lives at-risk to show they care. It is like the parable of the Good Samaritan being lived out in our midst. Suddenly, I see this is the God-image shining through, glimpses of God’s wholeness welling up from within each of us.” (77)
