I went to a nearby hamburger stand by my job on Friday to get some oatmeal. Before entering in I picked up a copy of the LA Times newspaper and on the front was the gory pictures of the Katrina aftermath. As I walked into the hamburger stand to place more order, a man seen the newspaper under my arm and said; “I don’t have to guess what’s on the front page”. I responded, “No you don’t. It’s Katrina.” I sat down waiting for my food and the man started up a conversation with a series of questions and comments about the aftermath of Katrina. Questions like, why did it take so long for help to arrive? Where is our help in the states when we need it? And on and on he went. I listened very carefully to all that was coming out of his mouth to figure out where he was going with this conversation. It didn’t take long before he says; “We need to start listening to Minister Farrakahn because he told that the white man would do whatever he could to try and wipe us out as a people.” At that point I couldn’t take no more and I responded, “This particular event we can’t blame on anybody”. Furthermore, how did this become black against white or white against black?”
No doubt his concern is the concern of millions of people across the country what happened and how did it happened? Understand that natural disasters are just that natural disasters. Rarely can they be blamed on man directly
The Fact of Natural Disasters
September 21, 1989—Hurricane Hugo strikes the southeastern coast of the United States. Over 25 people are killed, and over $10 billion worth of damage results. One month later—October 17, 1989—an earthquake registering 7.1 on the Richter scale strikes the San Francisco Bay area in California. At least 62 people are killed, and damage estimates are placed at well over $1 billion. August 24, 1992—Hurricane Andrew hits three counties in southern Florida. More than a dozen people lose their lives, and damage estimates are set at over $20 billion. A year later, on September 11, 1992, Hurricane Iniki devastates the Hawaiian islands. At least four people die, and damage is set at over $1 billion. In June 1993, huge portions of numerous states along the Mississippi River and its tributaries experienced the worst flooding in their history. Entire cities were covered with water measured not in inches, but in feet. At least 47 people died, and more than 25,000 were evacuated from their homes.
Do these types of natural disasters represent merely isolated, infrequent events? Hardly. Throughout history, man has recorded many such tragedies. In 526, an earthquake hit the country now known as Turkey and left 250,000 dead. A similar earthquake in China in 1556 killed over 830,000 people. Another quake in India in 1737 annihilated 300,000, and quakes in Central China in 1920, 1927, and 1932 killed 200,000, 200,000, and 70,000 people respectively. In 1889, the famous “Johnstown Flood” occurred in Pennsylvania. The dam of the South Fork Reservoir, twelve miles east of the city, burst during heavy rains. Over 2,000 people were killed, and property damage was estimated to be over $10 million. In 1969, Hurricane Camille killed more than 250 people in seven states from Louisiana to Virginia, leaving behind over $1.5 billion in damage. In 1983, Hurricane Alicia struck near Galveston, killing 21 and causing over $2 billion in damage.
It is rare indeed, it seems, for a single generation in a given locale to be spared at least some kind of natural disaster. Without warning, tornadoes sweep down from the afternoon sky and destroy in a moment’s fury what took decades or centuries to build. Floods cover “old home places,” and remove forever any vestige of what were once storehouses of hallowed memories. In a matter of seconds, earthquakes irreparably alter once-familiar landscapes. Hurricanes come from the sea, demolish practically everything in their paths, and then dissipate as if they never had existed. Each time humanity suffers. And each time there are those who ask “Why?” Why them and why now? From “DO NATURAL DISASTERS NEGATE DIVINE BENEVOLENCE?” by Bert Thompson, Ph.D.
An old woman in a devastated village in Southern India’s Tamil Nadu state, wailed: “Why did you God do this to us? What have we done to upset you?” (From Dec. 2004 Tsunami)
On Friday night my wife and I stayed up to watch the 10 o’clock and of course a major part of the news broadcast was about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The news reporter interviewed a man who started lashing out at pastors in Louisiana. Saying things like, “Pastors, where are you your flock needs you now when you needed our tithes on Sunday morning”. I got upset because the pastor’s flock is not the only body who lost everything but that pastor(s) themselves could have lost everything as well. The devastation does not exempt anyone. But after I though about it some more I said to myself, there’s a deeper request that this man has. More than just looking for his pastor I think he’s really asking this one question, “As a Christian, how do I respond to natural disasters like this?
I. Trust the Sovereignty of God
A term by which is expressed the supreme rulership of God. This is rightly held to be not an attribute of God but a prerogative based upon the perfections of the divine Being.
Job 9:1-12 (Living)
Job’s reply:
[2] "Yes, I know all that. You’re not telling me anything new. But how can a man be truly good in the eyes of God? [3] If God decides to argue with him, can a man answer even one question of a thousand he asks? [4] For God is so wise and so mighty. Who has ever opposed him successfully?
[5] "Suddenly he moves the mountains, overturning them in his anger. [6] He shakes the earth to its foundations. [7] The sun won’t rise, the stars won’t shine, if he commands it so! [8] Only he has stretched the heavens out and stalked along the seas. [9] He made the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades, and the constellations of the southern Zodiac.
[10] "He does incredible miracles, too many to count. [11] He passes by, invisible; he moves along, but I don’t see him go. [12] When he sends death to snatch a man away, who can stop him? Who dares to ask him, ’What are you doing?’
The late Dr. Clarence Edward Macartney, while a theological student, visited the home of a skeptic. The skeptic’s argument was as follows: "If a man tells me that he has a horse which can trot a mile in three minutes, I tell him to bring out the horse and prove it. If you tell me that there is a God, I ask you to produce God and prove His existence." Macartney replied, "No Christian claims to know God, nor would want to know Him in that way. By that kind of searching we cannot know the Almighty to perfection. The Christian believer does not say, ’I know God,’ or ’I see God,’ or ’I think there is a God,’ but ’I believe in God.’ "
II. Remember the Faithfulness of God
1 Peter 4:19 (Living) - So if you are suffering according to God’s will, keep on doing what is right and trust yourself to the God who made you, for he will never fail you.
God has two-fold purpose in the suffering of every believer. First, God is glorifying the name of Christ. Or secondly, God is purifying the life of the believer by the suffering. Therefore, the believer must
do two things:
He must keep on doing good.
He must commit the keeping of his soul to God.
The word “commit” (paratithesthoôsan PWS: 655) means to deposit; to entrust into the hands of a trusted banker or friend. God can be trusted; He will not fail the believer. He will either deliver the believer through the suffering or else on home to be with Christ forever. God will save the believer’s soul. The believer can trust God, trust Him far more than any friend on earth, for God never fails. God is a faithful Creator. He has created us to be with Him eternally, and His plan will not be defeated. If we commit our souls to Him, no matter what men may do to us, God will save us. He will fulfill His
plan and purpose in our lives.
In his book God will Help Me, Walter G. Swanson refers to the life of Robert Dollar. He writes:
“A keen-eyed young sea captain stood in the lobby of a large hotel in Hong Kong conversing with an Englishman. ‘So you’ve come to do business in the Orient? Well, step into the bar and tell me about your plans.’ ‘I’m sorry,’ said the seaman, ‘but I never partake of alcoholic beverages.’ The man’s florid face broke into an unbelieving smile. ‘Entering the Oriental trade without having a Scotch and soda?’ ‘Yes, sir!’ ‘Do you expect to be successful without taking your friends into a tavern for a drink? If you do,’ he said with a cynical laugh, ‘God help you!’ The young man replied, ‘God WILL help me.’ ” And he was right.
Years later, Robert Dollar stood on the 10th floor of the building that bore his name near San Francisco Bay. He was watching the workmen unload cargo from his freighters that had come from all over the world. Having avoided the pitfalls of liquor, he had indeed been richly blessed by the Lord.
III. Rely on the Power of Prayer
James 5:16 (Msg) - Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.
One of the worse things a believer can do in response to tragedy is get angry and want revenge. Paul said to the Ephesians (Ephes. 4:26-27 –Msg) –“Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. [27] Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life”.
It’s ok to be angry but when that anger becomes revengeful then you have allowed the anger take priority over that which is important. Rather than responding with anger you ought to respond in prayer. What should I pray for:
- Pray for the victims (saved and unsaved)
- Pray for the volunteers
- Pray for our leader and leaders
IV. Hold on to the Promises of God
Deut. 1:6-8 (NKJV)
"The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ’You have dwelt long enough at this mountain. [7] Turn and take your journey, and go to the mountains of the Amorites, to all the neighboring places in the plain, in the mountains and in the lowland, in the South and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates. [8] See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to your fathers--to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--to give to them and their descendants after them.’
It’s striking to note the way that the Lord talks about His promises in this passage. He speaks of them not as that which He will do, but as something He has already done.
“Go in and take possession of the land,” the Lord told Israel. “See, I have given [italics mine] you this land.”
What a striking statement. God’s promises are so sure that God can speak of what He intends as already complete.
We can apply this in our own lives. When we find God’s promises in the Bible, we can hold on to them with confidence. They do not simply express what God will do for us: they are so sure, they express what He has already accomplished.
