On July 4, a devastating flood hit the Texas Hill Country. At least 130 people lost their lives. Many of them were children and teenage counselors who were at a Christian summer camp for girls.

Many heartbreaking stories have come from this event. They have been related in numerous sermons and shared in the national news. Parents and grandparents think about what it would be like to lose an eight-year-old daughter or granddaughter in that way. But we dwell on it for only a few seconds because the thought is too horrible to contemplate. We feel for those who have to go through such a loss. 

We also hear stories of those who survived the flood. We are told of acts of heroism or how a young person was saved miraculously. We see the faces of those still with us. They too will be parts of sermons and in the news. They will make us feel good. 

I know some will disagree with me, but we should be cautious when sharing these feel-good stories. 

I heard one such sermon shortly after the floods. The preacher was preaching on Jer 29:12, which says: “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you” (NKJV). He told the story of a 22-year-old woman who was swept away in the flood while driving her car. So powerful was the force of the floodwaters that her clothes were torn off and swept away. She stayed with her car for several miles, hoping for a miracle. Eventually, she climbed on top of the car and cried out to God with all her might. Miraculously, the car approached a large tree with a strong branch extending over the water. She grabbed the branch and held on to it. After four hours, bruised and naked, she was rescued. The preacher attributed her rescue to her “calling out with all her heart to God.” If a believer does that, the preacher said, “God will listen to that call for help.” He went on to say that we have a mighty God who performs miracles to deliver His children when they call upon Him. 

Of course, it is wonderful that this young woman is safe and sound with her family. But there are some problems with the preacher’s message. First, Jer 29:12 is addressed to the Jews who were in captivity in Babylon. God had told them that He would bring them back to Israel after seventy years. At that time, He would listen to their cries when they called upon Him. He would fulfill His promise to them. 

It is not legitimate to apply this to troubles that Christians might experience today. The preacher’s words can give the impression that if a believer cries out to God with all his heart, God will save him from whatever trouble he may be in. That is not true. That is not what Jer 29:12 says. God has not promised to deliver us from our problems. 

I can’t imagine how a parent or grandparent who lost a daughter would feel upon hearing this sermon. “Did we not cry out with all our hearts? Did our daughter die because we didn’t believe in a miracle strongly enough? Did God not hear our granddaughter’s cries when she was swept away by the water? Is this young woman alive today because she is a better Christian than I am or my daughter was?” 

I am sure the preacher did not mean any of these things. But his words communicated that message. Most Christians diagnosed with cancer cry out to God for a good outcome. Some are given one, others are not. We should never insinuate that the ones who beat cancer had more faith or cried out more fervently than those who died from it. 

We need to show mercy to those who suffer a devastating loss. Every young girl and counselor in that camp who died in the flood was as terrified as the 22-year-old in her car. All of them must certainly have cried out to God. I don’t know why the Lord saved the one and not the others. But I do know one thing. He listened to all of them. He heard their cries. Not a single girl who went to bed giggling with her friends the night before perished alone. The Lord was with her. 

I am also pretty sure that some of the parents and grandparents of girls who died were closer to the Lord than were the 22-year-old or her parents. She is not alive today because she and her family had greater faith than others.  

When we tell stories of the Texas flood—or any time believers go through hard times—we need to make these truths clear. May mercy flow from our lips and may our words not cause further hurt.