Let's not forget the pain and sorrow associated with tragic events

As we talked this morning about the horrible train derailment that injured so many, and as of now appears to have killed at least seven people, I thought about how much of this type of news we've had to deal with lately.

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There were the devastating earthquakes in Nepal. There was the shocking plane crash in Germany that happened because the co-pilot intentionally slammed the plane into the side of a mountain. We witnessed the police shootings and riots, as well as the tragic deaths of five nursing students in a terrible accidents. And let's not forget that missing Malaysian airliner that still hasn't been found. We often cover these things with a focus on the details of the event - what happened, why it happened, who's responsible - but before we go there, we should remember the sorrow and the pain of those touched by these events. The families who lost loved ones see and feel these events in a much more profound and personal way than those of us who merely follow the coverage. And while we can share their sorrow for a short time, we move on with our lives. For them, the pain is often a far more lasting experience. That's because sorrow subsides, but pain afflicts us more deeply. These are the times when we need to pray for those who are hurting, and I find it helpful at times like these to go to Scripture and take comfort in Revelation 21:4, which says:

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

This doesn't happen, of course, until we are with Him in His Kingdom, but it's nevertheless a promise that can never be taken from us if we know Him. Sorrow and pain are for a time, but His love for us is for all eternity. We need to pray for those who are hurting in the aftermath of these tragedies, and that includes people we don't know and will never know. The pain of others is real and we should care about it. If we spend one second discussing it with each other, then we can surely find time to l lift them up to God as well because He can help them in ways that our discussions amongst ourselves never could. There will be plenty of time to assess who's to blame and what to do and all that. But the pain and sorrow of other human beings should be our first concern.