The old testament story of God's judgement on the nations reveals a lot about His character. He not only shows His people that He can redeem them, but He also shows how powerful that redemption is by demonstrating how destructive sin is. Sin is the backdrop against which God works His good. We have all these questions about the suffering that is involved in God getting the glory for His work. What we must understand is that God not only shows through death and suffering that sin is destructive, but that He alone exists as this process of death and destruction continues. In other words, God's judgement of sin is just and right, and He is the only one who can ultimately redeem us from it. When we experience tragedy, it can be natural to try and find meaning in it by looking for similarities and patterns. However, it is important to remember that our survival depends on our ability to understand what God is doing in this situation and to trust that He has good reasons for His actions. This does not mean that we will always be able to see the logic behind His decisions, but we can take comfort in knowing that God is just and His purposes will ultimately lead to good. The more we suffer, the more we realize how good our lives actually are. This focus is essential in overcoming evil and disaster. We find God not as beyond the suffering, but as present in it. Our reaction to the suffering is to sink into pain, which is also the reason we try to find an answer. I have found that, in seeking to find solace in the midst of suffering, I am most comforted when I repeat the works of the Lord to the Lord. You know that the way out of the uncertainty and anxiety of the situation is our focus. And in some ways, we find that the mystery of God's greatness actually takes our minds off of the evil in the world. The Psalmist says that he will declare the works of the Lord, and that by doing so, we can see God's greatness more clearly. We cannot avoid suffering and evil, but by looking at them in the context of God's greatness, we can find hope and comfort. He overcomes all of these terrible events, proving that He is good. God is not silent or unconcerned; He is actively involved in the world. The only other option is to trust in a god we make of our own, which is far less satisfying. When we trust in God, we know that He is good and He is involved in our lives.