I will keep this brief. The situation in Oklahoma is terrible. In this moment, we should not seek to explain God; we should suffer with those who suffer and mourn with those who mourn.

Piper’s now-infamous tweet quoting the book of Job is the exact opposite of the message of that book. Job questioned God; his friends explained God. God responds, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.”

In Job’s suffering, God spoke out of the whirlwind — He revealed Himself as obscure. In disaster, God reveals to us that we don’t understand God. Our explanations are meaningless and perhaps even angering.

Yet even still, we should continue to love our brothers who try to explain our suffering, just as Job did for his friends. This is a hard thing for me, especially, because I really dislike Piper’s teachings. Even still, the foremost commandment is to love.

Love our brothers and sisters who are suffering in Oklahoma. Sit with them in silence, questioning, and frustration. Love also our brothers and sisters who try to explain their suffering, even as much as they anger us.