“So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, ‘Quick, get out of the city! The Lord is about to destroy it.’ But the young men thought he was only joking.” (Genesis 19:14 NLT)
Recently my wife and I watched a series called “Earthstorm” that gave insightful information about Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Volcanoes, and Earthquakes. It’s not for the faint of heart, so, it may not be suitable for children, but it’s very enlightening when it comes to the power God has built into nature.
Understanding there are varying views on “Global warming,” my goal today isn’t to get on my soapbox and promote one view or another, my point is simply that God has set in motion “natural” means to bring catastrophe to the world. But why?
The Biblical book of Revelation gives us insight. In Revelation 18:9-10 for example, the Bible says: “And the kings of the world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains. They will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will cry out, ‘How terrible, how terrible. O Babylon, you great city! In a single moment God’s judgment came on you.’”
What can we learn from knowing that God has built into the world He created, fault lines with the potential of causing worldwide, catastrophic disaster? Natural storm systems with the power to wipe out cities in a few moments? Volcanoes governed by His Holy Voice? Should that frighten, alarm, encourage, awaken us? Why even bring it up?
As Jesus followers we understand that life, our physical life and the life of our planet, all of life is in God’s hands. He alone governs when we’re born and when we’ll die. He has that same control over the earth on which we live. He decides when it floods, when fire falls from heaven, when earthquakes move and when volcanoes erupt. Nothing escapes His notice, and nothing happens without His consent.
Even as the words flow onto the page, I realize that non-believers and even some who do believe may really wrestle with why a God of love could allow so much loss of human life. While we also wrestle with war, hunger, poverty and other global tragedies, it’s easier, at least in my mind, to understand man’s inhumanity to man than to grasp why God seems to select certain areas of the world to allow more death and destruction.
May I be honest? I don’t have an answer for all of that; however, my sense is we must start with what we know, not what we don’t know. We must start with who God is, but, here again, the most brilliant mind of man can only grasp a fraction of the mind of God. Granted, I’m not the sharpest pencil in the box, but I have to believe the Lord is guiding my mind and heart as I write.
So, think about the characteristics or attributes of God: He’s all loving, He can’t do anything unless it’s motivated by love; He’s all-knowing, He knows absolutely everything there is to know about everything. He cannot make a decision without all the facts. He’s ever-present. He’s present in every place at every moment from the beginning of time until this moment. Nothing escapes His notice, and He never forgets a single detail. He’s all powerful. An atom bomb to God is like striking a match for us. Volcanoes have the potential to produce power that is many times the power of an atom bomb.
Here’s the bottom line for me: I trust the Lord and, as I leave decisions regarding my own life in His capable hands, I leave His decisions about the world in His hands, but there’s another aspect of this subject I’d like to explore in tomorrow’s post.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 