Much of the support directed toward former President Trump in his survival of the assassination attempt includes a sentiment that reflects God’s “protection” of the former President. I’ve also heard “divine intervention” and “God’s providence” attributed to the failed assassination attempt. This all could be very true. But to attribute God’s protection to Mr. Trump’s survival, we need to have an answer for the family of Corey Comperatore, the retired firefighter who did not survive the same round of fire, as well as the families of David Dutch and James Copenhaver, both of whom were critically injured. Did God not protect them? It’s the same dilemma we face when a tornado rips through a town: one family is spared, another family is not. It’s the same dilemma that’s exhibited in the questions so frequently asked: Why do bad things happen to good people (or to anyone, for that matter)? If God is all-powerful and all-loving, why does He allow suffering?
Thankfully, we have some biblical precedent to give us guidance. We see this same dilemma play out in the book of Acts, chapter 12. King Herod, in seeking to suppress the new and growing Christian movement went on a persecution rampage. He killed the beloved apostle James, brother of John. He then arrested the apostle Peter with intent to inflict the same fate. But while in jail, Peter was visited by “an angel of the Lord” and released, miraculously set free to continue his ministry life for many more years. And there is our recognizable dilemma: James is killed. Peter is freed. Both had been equally prayed for regarding protection but experienced very different outcomes.
Peter boldly proclaimed that it was the Lord who had rescued him. So what about James?
To answer that question is to presume to speak for God. I try to shy away from doing that. We do not know why James was killed and Peter was freed. We do not know why a tornado kills one family while leaving the rest of the street untouched. We do not know why former President Trump was spared but Corey Comperatore was not. What we can learn from Acts 12, and other scriptural incidents, is that we are not promised a trouble-free life.
In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego boldly proclaimed to Nebuchadnezzar that God would deliver them from the fiery furnace. They also included a disclaimer: But if He doesn’t, we still will not waver in our faith. In 1 Peter 3, which may be Peter’s response to his and James’s different fates, Peter declared that no one can harm you for being zealous for what is good; however, if you should suffer, you will be blessed. Peter reinforces that point a chapter later by telling his readers not to be surprised by suffering.
In my own journey of loss—my beloved late wife Dana succumbing to cancer at the age of 48—I have found that I still experienced God’s protection, even though I was not spared from suffering. As we speak of God’s protection of former President Trump, may we also speak of, and pray for, God’s continued protection for the family of Corey Comperatore, that they will be comforted by the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4), that their minds will be protected from the anguish of “what ifs”; that their hearts will be protected from bitterness that can arise when processing the unfairness they’ve experienced; that their souls will be revived through the redemption that God brings through pain.
Diving deeper into this subject:
Free study on Acts 12 from InWord’s study of Acts 7-12: “…But Even if God Doesn’t”
Small-Group Study on Loss/Suffering: Lossology 101: Developing a Personal Theology of Loss