Volcanos erupt. The Earth quakes. Hurricanes batter our cities. Where is God in all of this? Perhaps how can God be in all of this? Is God in heaven wringing His hands over the natural disasters that are brought about by sin? Is God really helpless in the face of tragic natural disasters?
Psalm 68:8 takes a different view. Here God is seen as the cause of earthquake and rain. Jeremiah 14:22 sees God as the giver of the rain. If He controls the rain then ultimately He controls hurricanes and tornadoes. These are all logical conclusions and indeed scripture teaches us that God brings all these things to pass. Romans 8:18-23 talks about these things revealing that creation groans under the curse longing for the revealing of the sons of God. When disaster strikes it is for the purpose of pointing us to the greater reality of the even greater power than nature...God. We have a missionary that we support in Indonesia. What many people do not realize is that the tsunami there hit one of the most militant muslim parts of Indonesia. Our missionary saw great openness to the gospel after the tsunami. Did the tsunami bring death and destruction? Yes! But it brought some to Christ. There were eternal rewards that were reaped by that disaster. How much is even one person's eternity in heaven worth? It is truly incalculable. Does God bring these things to pass? Absolutely! But they are truly for the sake of His glory. People need to see the greater reality of the eternity that awaits them so that they might turn to Jesus and begin to also live God focused lives.
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