Natural Disasters

This has been a particularly bad day for me in what has been a particularly bad week, so please forgive me if I seem somewhat disorganized. I was going to comment on an article I read in an online Christian magazine whose name, and the title of which article I cannot remember. I cannot find my copy of the article, so I cannot quote it. I tried to sign on to aol to relocate the article (which I had probably deleted anyway since I had printed off the now missing hardcopy) but found that aol is temporarily offline.

I suppose that the name, and the actual content of the article is irrelevant anyway, but I will try to go on without it, as I say what I feel led to say.

The article was about natural disasters, and how there seem to be so many of these happening in recent days. It was written just after the recent mudslides in California that resulted in not only property damage, but some very tragic loss of life. This all coming on the heels of a particularly destructive hurricane season which also resulted in considerable property damage and loss of lives. I would add to this list the recent wildfire damage and loss of lives in California (that produced the loss of vegetation that led to the mudslides), which I think I heard was the greatest monetary loss by wildfire in history (I’ve got to start keeping that notebook closer to the chair when I watch TV).

The article went on no speculate as to whether these were true acts of God (in the Biblical sense, rather than the insurance sense) as a reckoning for our sins. I believe that it concluded that they probably were not, but that they did give opportunities for us to minister to those touched by disaster. That is a good, and very valid point.

I, however, in this post would like to touch on whether these and other natural disasters are indeed “acts of God.”

I am currently reading the book Unlocking the Prophetical Mysteries of Israel, by messianic Rabbi, Jonathan Bernis, who makes the following statement which pretty much echoes my belief on this matter:

 I do not think for a moment that God sent these calamities on the American people. Instead, I believe He lifted His hand of protection and we were battered by one disaster after another. Only God knows what would befall our nation if He completely lifted His protection from us. Only in the world to come will we know how often He has stretched out His hand to protect us individually and as a nation. (P. 34)

He was in that instance referring to several past natural disasters, specifying the Northridge California earthquake, the tornadoes that had then recently hit Kansas and Oklahoma, and hurricane Katrina, but I believe that this could be said of many other such events. I read some years ago, that in the last twenty-five years or so, natural disasters had increased nearly tenfold from the number of occurrences of the century previous to that. Again, I do not have the exact information on hand, but I believe this number to be nearly correct to what I read in the article in question. This would hardly seem to be coincidental.

Jesus told a story and I’m not sure what He had in mind, as I have found several levels of meaning in it:

“[the] eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:4-5

At the very least this passage suggests that disasters, natural or man-made are a part of life in this fallen world. I think that there is also at least an implication that repentance (turning to Christ) could avail us to His protection. He also said:

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:34

The takeaway from this passage is that in our right relationship with Him we will have peace and will overcome the world, including the natural disasters, with and through Him. I also observe that for those of us that are either untouched by these events, or are among those that were prepared when the disasters struck us, we are left with the privilege of being able to minister in His name, and on His behalf to those who are less fortunately affected by disaster.

Thanks for sharing this moment with me today.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.