Where is God in Unthinkable Loss? With Pastor Gregg Matte

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Pastor Gregg Matte of Houston’s First joins Rania for a conversation about grief, tragedy, and the hardest questions parents ask when the unthinkable happens. Drawing from Scripture, recent funerals he has preached, and the heartbreak of events like the Hill Country flooding and Heaven’s 27, Pastor Gregg explores where God is in disaster, whether God “allows” or “orchestrates” suffering, and why the Bible shows us Jesus himself weeping at a graveside.

He explains the difference between asking “why” and asking “what next,” and how Job’s story shows that deep grief and deep faith are not opposites but can exist together. Parents will hear practical, pastoral guidance for walking through loss, helping children process tragedy, and learning to “grieve toward God” instead of away from Him. Pastor Gregg also shares how God can redeem even misery into ministry and why some answers will remain in the category of “the secret things” that belong to the Lord.

Key takeaways

•           Deep grief and deep faith can coexist; Scripture shows that lament, questions, and worship can all live in the same heart.

•           The shift from “why did this happen” to “what next, Lord” is often the turning point in moving through grief instead of getting stuck in it.

•           Job’s story and Jesus weeping at Lazarus’s tomb reveal that God is not distant from suffering but present, compassionate, and grieved by the brokenness of this world.

•           Parents can model “grieving toward God” by staying in prayer, community, and Scripture, even when there are no satisfying answers.

•           God may use unimaginable loss to grow empathy, ministry, and eternal perspective, even while the pain and questions remain very real.