The Tragedy
It was like peeling back an onion of grief. With each layer of news, the pain grew, until all we could do was weep.
There was a plane crash in Freeport this evening.
The plane belonged to Myles Munroe.
Everybody onboard is dead.
Myles was onboard.
Ruth, too . . . and Pastor Richard. . . and Manifest and Raydel . . . and Jojo.
Everybody dead?
Everybody. The past. The present. The future.
On Sunday, November 9, 2014, a Lear 36 jet crashed in Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas killing internationally renowned motivational speaker and founder/president of Bahamas Faith Ministries Intl (BFM), Dr. Myles Munroe, and his wife, Ruth; BFM vice-president, Dr. Richard Pinder; BFM newly installed youth pastors, Lavard “Manifest” and Raydell Parks and their five-year-old son, Johannan; American translator Diego DeSantiago; and the pilots, Captain Stanley Thurston and Frakhan Cooper. The group was en route from Nassau to the Global Leadership Forum sponsored by Myles Munroe International (MMI).
Making Sense
How do we make sense of this tragedy? Like the Book of Job shows, philosophical and theological discussions on “why bad things happen to good people” are useless in times such as this. The only “thing” that brings any comfort — even to those who do not believe it — is the truth that the sovereign God is in control and He is compassionate and gracious, abounding in love. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is God’s love toward us (Psalm 103:8, 11).
The knowledge of the sovereign God gives us the peace of mind that lets us cry out through cascading tears, “the Lord God has allowed it, and He does all things well. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” We find in His all-encompassing love the strength to wait for the “crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (Isaiah 61:3).
There is another truth which we should hold in tension with the sovereignty of a loving God. This truth is that we, human beings, have the power of choice and determination. And we are free to exercise this power to our benefit and to our harm. The sovereign God does not usurp the power He has given us to choose. Rather, He invites us to choose right, to choose life, to choose Him.
Dance
Therein is the dance of life—a beautiful waltz between the Sovereign’s design and the human will.
Life is long flowing movements, continuous turns, and rises. And in that sacred space we share with the Sovereign God, we place our hand in His hand so that it is He who leads and we who follow.
Yet He gives us the room to be creative in our steps and to respond to His lead in ways that show off our beauty, His grace and strength, and the elegance of the dance. When – not if – the time comes for turns and dips and rises, we do not fear, fall or falter in rhythm. We follow His lead and stay within the sacred space knowing that He is the sovereign God of compassion and abounding love and He will not let go of us.
When the dance is over, even then He will not leave us—we will go home with Him.
Who is leading in the dance of your life?
