Friday 11 March 2011

In the face of natural disaster

"All your waves and billows have gone over me." (Ps. 42:7)
In the verse above, the Psalmist was referring to a spiritual state of abandonment, using terms reflecting a sense of helplessness in the face of events beyond human control... How often do we feel similarly when faced with seemingly scary giants in our lives?

Japan and the Pacific area 

Along with people all over the world, I was saddened to learn this morning of the megaquake (measuring 8.9) in Japan and the resulting aftershocks and tsunamis that have hit the Pacific area as a result.
I've experienced two earthquakes in my life - one in Southern California (while sitting on a friend's bed watching TV) and one on the Greek island of Zakynthos (I woke up at 3am dreaming I was in a boat, my bed was rocking so much). On both occasions I wasn't scared - curious and strangely excited. Straight after the quake in Zakynthos there was absolute silence for several minutes, as if nature was paying tribute to the power unleashed. Then all of a sudden a wave of noise broke out - crickets, bull frogs, birds...very odd. I believe both of these quakes were around the 5-6 mark on the Richter Scale...docile in comparison to the one that just hit Japan.

This massive earthquake - 8,000 times stronger than the one that hit New Zealand last month - sent a catastrophic 33 foot tsunami hurtling across the Pacific Ocean. Several hundred are now feared dead and a cruise ship carrying 100 people has gone missing, swept away by the tsunami. Such events can make us feel so helpless and all many of us can do is pray. Believe it or not, it does make a difference.

All day horrendous images of scenes of destruction have been flooding in. If I didn't know differently, they look like the set from an apocalyptic movie. Here are just a few of them:

A building in flames near Sendai airport, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
Houses are swept by water following a tsunami and earthquake in Natori City in north-eastern Japan
Natural gas storage tanks burn at the Cosmo oil refinery in Ichihara city, Chiba Prefecture
A small fishing vessel is dragged towards the vortex of a whirlpool formed by tsunami waves
The tsunami engulfs a residential area in Natori, Miyagi


Such extensive destruction is a reminder that we all live precariously – whether as the result of the choices of other people, on time lent to us for a season, or on an earth that gives us no guarantees as to assured security and continuity.

Questions, questions...

Many refer to such large scale destruction as an 'Act of God' in order to explain the depth of chaos (and appease tight-fisted insurance companies). Interesting that He gets no credit for years of peaceful weather!

It is natural in these circumstances to question God's goodness and ask questions such as,

  • "Why is the world in such a mess if God is in control?" 
  • "How could a God of love let masses of people die from killer hurricanes, catastrophic earthquakes, tsunamis, terrorist attacks and disease?"
  • "Is God pouring out his wrath upon sinners?" 

It's fine to ask these things - God gave us all a brain and expects us to use it! The reason such events are so tragic is that they expose our mortality. Death exists in a fallen world, and nothing exposes our mortality more than when death comes suddenly and unexpectedly, cutting short a life that had the potential to be much fuller. The book of Job reminds us that calamities happen without warning.

Most natural disasters are a result of these laws at work. Hurricanes, typhoons, and tornados are the results of divergent weather patterns colliding. Earthquakes are the result of the earth’s plate structure shifting. A tsunami is caused by an underwater earthquake.

The Bible proclaims that Jesus Christ holds all of nature together (Colossians 1:16-17). Could God prevent natural disasters? Absolutely! Does God sometimes influence the weather? Yes, as we see in Deuteronomy 11:17 and James 5:17. Numbers 16:30-34 shows us that God sometimes causes natural disasters as a judgment against sin. The book of Revelation describes many events which could definitely be described as natural disasters (Revelation chapters 6, 8, and 16). Is every natural disaster a punishment from God? Absolutely not.

In much the same way that God allows people to commit evil acts, God allows the earth to reflect the consequences sin has had on creation. Romans 8:19-21 tells us,
“The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.”
The fall of humanity into sin had effects on everything, including the world we inhabit. Everything in creation is subject to 'frustration' and 'decay'. Sin is the ultimate cause of natural disasters just as it is the cause of death, disease, and suffering.

We can understand why natural disasters occur. What we do not understand is why God allows them to occur. Why did God allow the tsunami to kill over 225,000 people in Asia? Why did God allow Hurricane Katrina to destroy the homes of thousands of people? For one thing, such events shake our confidence in this life and force us to think about eternity. Churches are usually filled after disasters as people realize how tenuous their lives really are and how life can be taken away in an instant.

What we do know is this: God is good! Many amazing miracles occurred during the course of natural disasters that prevented even greater loss of life. Natural disasters cause millions of people to reevaluate their priorities in life. Hundreds of millions of pounds in aid is sent to help the people who are suffering. Christian ministries have the opportunity to help, minister, counsel, pray, and lead people to saving faith in Christ! God can, and does, bring great good out of terrible tragedies (Romans 8:28).

God's relationship with creation...and us

In brief: God created a paradise for mankind to live in perfect relationship with Him and, through the choice of a human being confronted by deception in the form of satan as a snake, sin ruined it. The consequence of this choice was that man's relationship with God was broken. Sin (physical and spiritual death) entered into the equation...and creation was cursed as a result.

The Bible says the following,
"This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith." (Romans 3:22, 23)
Paul also talks about the state of the world:
"We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." (Romans 8:22)
We see this 'groaning' in the bad stuff around us - from violent earthquakes to disease – but fortunately for us this is not the end of the story. Creation is longing to be restored to the state it was created to be in, based on the promise of God as fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. Paul describes the physical fulfilment of this promise as something creation is in anticipation for. He likens this waiting period to the labour pains of childbirth - the process might be hard and might take a while but once started there is no way to stop it and the end result makes the whole thing worth it:
"Through him [Jesus] God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross." (Colossians 1:20; cf. Ephesians 1:10)
God sent His only (perfect) Son, Jesus, to live on earth for thirty-odd years among mankind and to experience all that we experience to the point of a most terrible death. But more than that, through His horrendous execution by crucifixion on that wooden cross, Jesus took on all inherent sin and wiped the slate clean. For anyone who believes in Him, by faith, this is a permanent restoration of our relationship with God...by the grace of God, we become a new creation - and while we have to go through the physical act of death, we are in eternal life with Him. He is coming back (at a time known only to His Father) and then we will be with Him forever...and there will be a new heaven and a new earth. The Creator will create again. As believers (Christians) we can still fall into sinful ways so we need to keep in relationship with God to help us in life, but our salvation is not based on what we do or don't do, but on what Jesus has done! He is alive and with us today!

Human tragedy on such a massive scale causes us to take stock of our own life, and turn to God in repentance and faith. The forces of nature, and of creation, remind us of our vulnerability and humble us. When tragedies happen, Jesus tells us, we need to face up to our need to get right with God. We do well to acknowledge our mortality and weaknesses by seeking to worship and serve the Lord of creation.

The real 'Acts of God'

Disasters such as this remind us of our humanity and fragility. However, instead of blaming God when tragedies strike, we need to turn to Him for strength, and let tragedies, of whatever nature, remind us that this world was never intended to be a final home (Hebrews 11:13-16). Our time here is temporary (James 4:14), and with God’s help we are able to overcome whatever comes our way (Romans 8:35-39; Psalm 46:1-3). In the end, the most important question is not, “Why did this happen to me?,” but instead, “How can I understand what has happened, and how am I going to react to it?” and "How can I draw nearer to God?" Often it is in the face of these kind of adverse conditions that the best of human character is revealed - altruism, courage, strength, compassion and love. They remind us of what is important.

These are the real 'Acts of God' – the positive and good things like healing, compassion, forgiveness, and above all, love. These are the things God teaches us through His Son, Jesus, and through the stories and revelations in the Bible. 

The truth is that God is good and only gives good gifts - the perfect father. He wants a relationship with those He created - you and me - because He loves what He has made.
"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you." (Isaiah 54:10)
If we think that this God is uncaring of human life we need to remember that the same God has come among us in Jesus and took upon himself all our suffering on the cross. He continues to experience our pain and losses, as well as our joys and triumphs. God never promises that life would be easy for those of us who put our faith in Him. On the contrary, we are more likely to experience opposition. However, in Him we have the strength to stand and hope for the future.

Be God or let God... 

The good news is that one day this suffering will be no more. It will have no part in His new creation.
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev. 21:4)
We've all blamed Him for bad stuff that happens, but have we thanked Him for the good stuff? If you knew you had a perfect, loving Dad, regardless of human experience, wouldn't you want to know Him? Then we can respond to the fiery demonstrations of our earth...not with fear...but with awe.

Who or what do you put your trust in?
My prayer:
Dear loving Father, I do not have the words to express my own sadness at this latest event and I do not think my words would be enough. You know my heart so help me to pray. Please be with all those affected, especially those who are frightened, worried and confused. I especially ask for you to be with those who have lost loved ones or who wait in uncertainty. I pray that people in Japan and the surrounding areas would know Your comfort and strength at this time. Please help all the emergency services to where they need to be to help so that all necessary rescues can be made and lives saved. Thank You that Japan already had an earthquake/tsunami warning system in place which must surely have lessened the impact of the destruction. In Your power, please reduce any further repercussions as a result of this earthquake and provide the right aid and finances to help those in need. Please surround the people with Your arms of love and protection and restore their hope in the future.
Amen 

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