Friday, October 30, 2026From the news

Close to the Brokenhearted: A Word for the Ashes of Wang Fuk Court

When a tragedy exposes failure and the grief runs deep, God draws near to the crushed in spirit, walks with us through the fire, and cares about justice even while human reform is still beginning.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 43:2

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

Good morning, friend. Some news is heavy to carry before the day has even begun. This week, the leader of Hong Kong and seven other officials bowed in apology after an independent report into the Wang Fuk Court fire. Last November, a small blaze, probably started by a cigarette, grew into an inferno that swallowed seven of the eight towers in a housing complex wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and netting. A hundred and sixty-eight people died. Behind that number are husbands and wives, daughters and mothers, neighbours who once shared a corridor and a cup of tea. Behind it are homes that no longer exist.

Let us begin by naming the grief plainly. Yip Ka-kui lost his wife and his home. Phyllis Lo lost her mother. For them, an apology that arrives long after the smoke has cleared cannot give back what was taken, and a report full of words like "decades of failure" cannot hold the weight of an empty chair at the dinner table. When Mr. Yip says the accountability offered so far falls short, or when Ms. Lo says the apology was late though better than nothing, we hear people who are still waiting. Their longing for truth and for justice is not a small thing. It is a deeply human cry, and I suspect God hears it too.

The psalmist knew something about that kind of sorrow. Hear his words again: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18). Notice what the psalm does not say. It does not say God waits until the blame is assigned, the reports are finished, and the reforms are complete. He draws near now, to the crushed in spirit, while the investigations are still underway and the questions remain unanswered. If you are carrying a loss that no official statement can touch, you are not waiting alone.

God also does not promise that the fire will never come. Isaiah wrote to a people who knew exile and ruin, and God's words to them were not a denial of the flames: "When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned" (Isaiah 43:2). Notice the word "through." The promise is not that we avoid the fire, but that we are not walked through it by ourselves. Whatever fire you are facing today, whether it is grief, a diagnosis, a broken relationship, or a long wait for answers, the Lord is with you in it.

And the cry for justice is not a betrayal of faith. Micah tells us what the Lord requires: "to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8). God cares about accountability, and he cares about the poor, the bereaved, and the ones whose warnings were ignored. The families asking that responsibility be named are echoing something that rises from the heart of God himself. We can pray for justice without becoming bitter, and we can hope for reform without placing our ultimate trust in any government or any report. The report itself admitted that "the fire has been put out, but the reform has only just begun." Human institutions are slow to repair what they have broken. Our God is patient, and he is faithful to finish what he starts.

So let us take heart and do what is within our reach. Pray today for the families of Wang Fuk Court, for their rest and their healing, and for those in authority to pursue truth with integrity. Check on a neighbour who has been carrying something quiet. And, if it is practical for you, test the smoke alarm in your own home this week. Small acts of care are one way we love our neighbour, and they are one way we walk humbly with God in an ordinary Tuesday.