If you have ever experienced any kind of tragedy in your life, you understand the feeling of hopelessness.  Every day, many people in our world are confronted with sudden disaster in their lives, and many more deal with the ongoing repercussions of a previous catastrophe or heartbreak.

This past month, our world witnessed the country of Japan getting thrashed by a massive earthquake, which led to a deadly tsunami.  The damage done ranges from immediate loss of life, to city-wide devastation, to a lingering nuclear crisis.

Just last week, a young family in Guatemala lost their 18-month old son in a drowning accident.  This family is very close to Global Infusion and the people on our teams who have interacted with them on our trips.

Hopelessness.  A terrible, terrible feeling of loss.  There are no words or actions we can say or do in times like these that will ever erase the trauma and stress endured by those who have lived through such tragic events.  And then there is the looming question that often goes unspoken, but resides in the minds of everyone:  where is God in all of this?

As a Christian, if I believe what I say I believe, I have to go to God’s Word for answers.  Jesus Himself watched tragedy happen from a distance.  In John 11, He is told that his dear friend Lazarus was deathly ill.  There is more than one sermon found in John 11, especially in verse six when Jesus intentionally delays His trip to visit Lazarus by two days, during which time Lazarus actually dies.  However, a few verses later, Jesus utters some of the most powerful statements ever spoken.  To a grieving Mary and Martha, He says, “Your brother will rise again” (v.23).  He continues, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (vs. 25, 26).

I think a great response to any tragedy is one of human presence.  Simply showing support by a personal visit or offering relief of some kind during the recovery period is paramount.  Colossians 1:27 says that Christ in us is the hope of glory.  Our presence brings hope.

After Jesus declares that He is the resurrection and the life, He asks Martha a penetrating question:  do you believe this? (v.26).  This is the question we must all answer.  To those who believe, Jesus Christ is our greatest hope.  Yet there are many in this world who are hopeless, because they do not know that even in death, they can live. 

And that, my friends, is why Global Infusion exists.