Katrina and Now Rita!
Katrina and now Rita! What in the world is happening?
Are the environmentalist’s correct? Are these hurricanes the result of global warming? Are they the judgment of God? Speaking of God, what is His part in all of this? Isn’t He in control?
God allows natural disasters. As the supreme Sovereign of the universe, God is in control. So, we must conclude that God, at least, allows natural disasters.
God does not directly cause natural disasters. When God created the earth, Adam and Eve, and the Garden of Eden, there was no disease, deformity, disaster, or death. When Adam sinned, all of creation fell under a curse (Gen. 3:17) and groans for redemption (Rom. 8:18-21). After the fall, the world changed. For the first time, weeds grew in the garden. Nature was out of joint. The world we live in today is a result of the fall.
In other words, natural disasters are natural disaster; they are not acts of God. These hurricanes are not the result of global warming. Weather experts inform us that every 25 to 40 years, there is a cycle of severe storms. Nor are these storms judgments of God (Lk. 13:1-5). Natural disasters naturally happen.
On November 1, 1755, an earthquake flattened the Portuguese city of Lisbon killing thousands of its inhabitants. At the time, Lisbon brazenly called itself a “party town.” John Wesley attributed the earthquake to “the curse that was brought upon the earth by the original transgression of Adam and Eve.”
As Pastor Doug Giles wrote, “If you build a big city below sea level in the middle of hurricane highway then the chances are you’re eventually going to take a hit. It doesn’t mean God hates you. It just means there is a cost to living on the coast.”
God wants us to learn from trials (Jas. 1:2-4). Here are several possible lessons.
1. Life does not consist in the abundance of the things we possesses (Lk. 12:15).
2. Life is about relationships (Mt. 22:37-39). Rick Warren said, “If you measure your life by the things you’ve accumulated (car, clothes, toys) and one day those things are all taken away, it forces you to reevaluate what life is really all about! If your definition of family is tied to your house or yard or neighborhood and suddenly it’s completely destroyed, it forces you to re-think the true meaning of a family. If your concept of church is a building with stained glass and a steeple and it is instantly reduced to a heap of rubble, it forces you to realize that church is people, not a building!”
3. Life is about helping others (Jas. 1:27). James begins his first chapter with you having a trial (Jas. 1:2) and ends it with you helping others in trouble (Jas. 1:27).
Conclusion: A sovereignGod allows natural disasters and we should learn spiritual lessons from them (Lk. 13:1-5).
© G. Michael Cocoris, 9/25/2005
Are the environmentalist’s correct? Are these hurricanes the result of global warming? Are they the judgment of God? Speaking of God, what is His part in all of this? Isn’t He in control?
God allows natural disasters. As the supreme Sovereign of the universe, God is in control. So, we must conclude that God, at least, allows natural disasters.
God does not directly cause natural disasters. When God created the earth, Adam and Eve, and the Garden of Eden, there was no disease, deformity, disaster, or death. When Adam sinned, all of creation fell under a curse (Gen. 3:17) and groans for redemption (Rom. 8:18-21). After the fall, the world changed. For the first time, weeds grew in the garden. Nature was out of joint. The world we live in today is a result of the fall.
In other words, natural disasters are natural disaster; they are not acts of God. These hurricanes are not the result of global warming. Weather experts inform us that every 25 to 40 years, there is a cycle of severe storms. Nor are these storms judgments of God (Lk. 13:1-5). Natural disasters naturally happen.
On November 1, 1755, an earthquake flattened the Portuguese city of Lisbon killing thousands of its inhabitants. At the time, Lisbon brazenly called itself a “party town.” John Wesley attributed the earthquake to “the curse that was brought upon the earth by the original transgression of Adam and Eve.”
As Pastor Doug Giles wrote, “If you build a big city below sea level in the middle of hurricane highway then the chances are you’re eventually going to take a hit. It doesn’t mean God hates you. It just means there is a cost to living on the coast.”
God wants us to learn from trials (Jas. 1:2-4). Here are several possible lessons.
1. Life does not consist in the abundance of the things we possesses (Lk. 12:15).
2. Life is about relationships (Mt. 22:37-39). Rick Warren said, “If you measure your life by the things you’ve accumulated (car, clothes, toys) and one day those things are all taken away, it forces you to reevaluate what life is really all about! If your definition of family is tied to your house or yard or neighborhood and suddenly it’s completely destroyed, it forces you to re-think the true meaning of a family. If your concept of church is a building with stained glass and a steeple and it is instantly reduced to a heap of rubble, it forces you to realize that church is people, not a building!”
3. Life is about helping others (Jas. 1:27). James begins his first chapter with you having a trial (Jas. 1:2) and ends it with you helping others in trouble (Jas. 1:27).
Conclusion: A sovereignGod allows natural disasters and we should learn spiritual lessons from them (Lk. 13:1-5).
© G. Michael Cocoris, 9/25/2005