In times of disaster, many questions are raised. Where was God when this happened? Are catastrophes divine judgement upon certain groups of people? Was God in it at all, or was this just a bizarre quirk of nature?
People often answer such questions based on their personal understanding of God. There is confusion and contradiction as we struggle to make sense of calamity, particularly when some influential figures weigh in with their own interpretations. The public viewpoints we often hear are frequently unscriptural, and yet people assume they are accurate. As Christians we have access to the one source of dependable truth: the Word of God, which provides the only reliable and genuinely helpful viewpoint.
So while it is reasonable to consider such questions, we need more than mere opinion. In times of tragedy, it is far more valuable to review what we know for sure. God does not give us all the answers we want, but He has provided enough information for us to live with a sense of confidence and assurance. So what do we know for certain?
1. God is in control. Psalm 103:19 says that God's sovereignty rules over all. That means everything...all people, all nature, and all events. Then why didn't He prevent the tsunami's devastation? None of us know. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law." In other words, God wants us to understand some things, which He reveals so that we will ovey. But there is much that our finite minds cannot comprehend, and God withholds that information. Our inability to grasp His reasons in no way diminishes God's absolute control over all circumstances.
2. God cares for every person. Matthew 10:29 assures us that God's loving care extends even to the sparrow, the most commonplace of birds. He purposely singled out a creature worth only half a penny to show there is certainly no aspect of our lives that escapes our Father's providential concern. He loves every single person, sinner and saint alike; whether we respond to His love or not is a different issue. So in hardships we don't understand...when we feel helpless and bewildered...we can know God is still there, caring for us.
3. God's desired plan for all mankind is redemption through faith in Jesus Christ. Religions around the globe profess gods of judgement and harshness. But the God of the Bible is a God of love. The heavenly Father so loved the world...including areas recently hit with devastating tidal waves...that He gave His only begotten Son for mankind's salvation, not judgment. (John 3:16-17) The cross was an amazing expression of divine love; there, Jesus hung in humiliation and agony to pay our sin-debt in full. Our Creator wants us to enter into a personal relationship with Him. No matter what you and I go through, no matter how sinful we might be, we know with certainty that God's love never changes.
4. God always works with a sense of purpose. He does not just react to circumstances. The enslaved Israelites probably wondered why Pharaoh's oppression continued, and yet Romans 9:17 confirms God was in charge: "For this very purpose I raised you (Pharaoh) up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth." It is important to remember that, while God always has a reason for what He initiates, we will not always understand, nor does He owe us an explanation. But we can trust that His purpose is always right and He will turn the circumstance for good in some fashion. (Romans 8:28)
5. God sometimes uses His creation to accomplish His purpose. The brimstone and fire Genesis 19:24 were most likely a volcanic eruption. Earlier, in Genesis 7, God warned Noah that a worldwide flood would destroy wicked mankind. For that time, His purpose was to judge wickedness. However, we cannot say that judgement is the reason He allowed waves to engulf so many people in our day; we simply do not know His reason for the tsunami. Was God aware it was coming? Yes. Could He have stopped it? Yes, but He didn't. He was effecting some purpose that we may never grasp. What we know for certain, though, is that an act of nature is sometimes God's chosen tool for accomplishing His plan.
6. Because God's ways are not our ways, we often rebel. When people cannot see a reason for pain and sorrow, they tend to blame God or even question His existence. Isaiah 55:8-9 answers their complaint by explaining we do not regard things the same way as the sovereign God of the univers, who sees all, knows all, and controls all. Obviously, his ways are superior. Isaiah 45:9 confronts our unbelieving criticism by saying that the clay does not have the right to question the potter's design. In other words, think twice before you quarrel with God about His ways. That is not to say God will become angry and punish you; it is simply futile to argue with the One whose ways far surpass yours.
7. In the end time, God will use nature to remind us of His imminent return. The earth will give warning near the time of Jesus' return. Matthew 24:6-8 Mankind will not know the precise time but at some point perhaps even in our lifetime the Lord will say "Now is the time I'm coming!" Since upheavals of nature are not uncommon, we should not rush to interpret them as "the end." But when we learn of sweeping cataclysmic events, we would be wise to let them remind us that Jesus will come back. Each of us has a responsibility to be ready for His coming, whether it is for us individually or for the whole world. To be ready means to have a right relationship with God and to live with a passionate desire to share the Good news of Christ.
8. Every great disaster is a merciful call to repentance for the rest of us. The first centruy Jewish mindset was that disaster and suffering always resulted from sin. In Luke 13:1-5, Jesus addressed this wrong attitude by pointing out two horrifying disasters of the day...a massacre of Galileans by Pilate and a tower collapse. He said that these deaths did not indicate the victims were worse sinners than anyone else. Then He added, "...Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (v5) The questions to ask about calamity is not "WHY?" but "What are you saying to me in this?" God's message in any disaster personal or regional is this: God reminds us that He loves us, even though we do not understand the circumstance. He is willing to forgive our sins, though none of us deserve it: and unless a person repents of sin, he or she will perish.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment