Natural Disasters And The Will of God
We have had a particularly active hurricane season this year, Katrina being the most destructive up to this point. Now Rita is barreling toward Texas and appears to be an even more dangerous storm than Katrina was.
I have been asked on several occasions how do these events square with Christianity? Did God cause and direct these storms? Were they out of His control?
As Christians we often feel the need to somehow explain away these things as having nothing to do with God. We don't like to talk about the wrath and judgment side of God anymore than the unbeliever wants to hear about it. Many Christians attempt to put together their own version of God much like a child assembles a teddy bear at a "Build-a-Bear" workshop.
We often talk about God working in very personal ways to direct our lives but when it comes to the big events we suddenly become practicing Deist who see God standing on the sidelines watching it all happen. So what does God's word have to say? Here are a few passages that seem to provide some answers.
Amos 3:6 "If a calamity occurs in a city has not the LORD done it?"
Psalm 148:8 "Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word"
Psalm 135:6-7 "Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps. He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; Who makes lightnings for the rain, Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries."
Lamentations 3:37-38 "Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, Unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth?"
Interesting.
Pastor Duane
I have been asked on several occasions how do these events square with Christianity? Did God cause and direct these storms? Were they out of His control?
As Christians we often feel the need to somehow explain away these things as having nothing to do with God. We don't like to talk about the wrath and judgment side of God anymore than the unbeliever wants to hear about it. Many Christians attempt to put together their own version of God much like a child assembles a teddy bear at a "Build-a-Bear" workshop.
We often talk about God working in very personal ways to direct our lives but when it comes to the big events we suddenly become practicing Deist who see God standing on the sidelines watching it all happen. So what does God's word have to say? Here are a few passages that seem to provide some answers.
Amos 3:6 "If a calamity occurs in a city has not the LORD done it?"
Psalm 148:8 "Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word"
Psalm 135:6-7 "Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps. He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; Who makes lightnings for the rain, Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries."
Lamentations 3:37-38 "Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, Unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth?"
Interesting.
Pastor Duane
posted by Duane @ 2:14 PM
2 Comments:
At 3:34 PM,
Anonymous said…
Well those are very relevant verses
of Scripture and certainly God is in control of His universe as Psalm
24:1 states "The earth is the Lord's and all it contains,
The world, and those who dwell in it. Also, Job Chapters 38 and 39
gives us a little glimpse of all the things God is in control of.
Also, our Lord Jesus Himself said that not one sparrow fall's without
the Father's consent - Matt. 10:29.
Kimm
At 4:24 PM,
Anonymous said…
I used to be one of those practicing deists until the sovereignty of God sunk into my heart rather than just my head. I do believe understanding his sovereignty is key to understanding the worlds events. Of course as we know he does not reveal the reasons why these things happen but we can be assured we know who directs them.
J
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