A few hours ago, two bombs were detonated at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
And minds turn to terrorist attacks of the past. Oklahoma City. 9/11. Lockerbie. And we wonder “Why? Why does this happen? Who would do this? Where is God?”
This is about hate. Sin. Dark ugliness. What that hate and sin is directed at, we don’t know yet. We may never know, though we have the finest in investigative resources and we hope and pray they will come to a conclusion and stop whoever is behind this.
There aren’t even words.
I heard one commentator refers to this attack as a “Stab into the heart of Joy”–referring to the exultation that occurs at the end of such a race. I’ve witnessed that exultation twice–once when I was at the finish line of the Ironman Triathlon on the Big Island of Hawaii, and then myself as a racer at the end of the Great Aloha Race. The crowds cheering for people they don’t even know, the celebration of completing something challenging. Whoever did this horrific crime, aimed to shatter that. Aimed to shake not just Boston, but all of America. And all of the world, as we consider countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya who have multiple racers in the marathon. This tragedy is unexplainable.
Watching the early videos, I was struck by two different responses to the explosion. There are the people that understandably ran away. And there are the people that ran directly into the chaos and ugliness to try to save lives. Our first responders everywhere need our prayers.
God has not turned His face from Boston. We have to trust that to be truth. That’s a hard concept for me to grasp personally–easy to preach, hard to hold on to as truth. But that is what Scripture says. God is a the God who sees.
The Psalm that came to my mind was Psalm 13. I’ll close this post with that Psalm, because, like I said, there aren’t even words. Pay close attention to verses 5 and 6. God’s love remains steadfast. Even in the midst of suffering.
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
because he has dealt bountifully with me.