A serious earthquake has struck Indonesia, with reports of over 3,000 killed. On the Globe and Mail website, a discussion has started. The first poster, Patricia, noted the reported escalation in the frequency of earthquakes over the past century and gently suggested that this might be a sign pointing to the end of the age. The posters pounced. They denounced her for her deluded Christian thinking, and openly mocked her faith. I thought they were a bit rough on her, so this is the counter-post that I submitted to the site.
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Everybody seems to be ganging up on #1 for her comment. However, it was based on a statement made by Jesus Christ. The One who preached peace and calmed the sea by his word also stated that as end of this age approached there would be "earthquakes in divers places". So, it is pretty hard, when an earthquake occurs, for a follower of Jesus not to be reminded of this saying. Of course, those who choose to mock such statements are perfectly free to do so; the Bible speaks clearly that the last days would be characterized by such persons.
(The Globe and Mail declined to post my submission.)
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Having said that, what should a Christian's view of natural disasters be? When the tsunami and when Katrina hit, people asked, "where was God?". I heard well-meaning Christians state that God was in the hearts and hands of the Christians who rushed to the scene to provide relief, suggesting he was in no way responsible for the event itself.
This is an inadequate apologetic.
To suggest that when a natural disaster strikes God is nowhere to be found suggests that either a) God is indifferent and/or uninvolved in Earth's activities, or b) God is impotent to prevent such disasters. Neither of these assertions give adequate glory to God.
The fact is, God is sovereign, and, whether God directly causes a disaster, or simply permits it to happen and fails to prevent it, God is the sovereign ruler of this planet.
Some people suggest that if God were behind a disaster, it would make him cruel and unrighteous. But this would be wrong. The facts are these: A) mankind, as a race, has turned its back on God, and has rebelled against Him. B) Natural disasters are one of the effects of this corporate rebellion. The apostle Paul makes it clear that nature itself is in bondage because of sin. C) All men and women are sinners before a holy God, deserving of punishment.
The Old Testament does not hesitate to attribute natural disasters to God. In the New Testament, however, a natural-disaster-in-the-making (the storm on the sea of Galilee) was abated by the intervention of the Son of God.
So it is certainly fitting to cry out to God for mercy, for forgiveness, for grace, and for the alleviation of suffering from natural disasters.
The problem is, the notion of judgment is simply out of fashion in today's world. People have rights, not righteousness. They view the Bible as fairy tale, when in fact its message is "the power of God unto salvation to all that believe". They believe that there is no divine accountability, no eternal judgment, that people can sin and cheat and steal and kill in this life and there will be no eternal consequences, no God to make things right. There is no fear of God before their eyes. And, since the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, it means that the world is, collectively, descending into foolishness.
"Lord, have mercy on the people of Indonesia, whom you love in Jesus Christ. May the gospel be preached to them, and may they reach out to you in this time of affliction. May many souls be won to Christ. May signs and wonders accompany the preaching of the gospel. In judgment, remember mercy. Amen."
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And, while mockers may predominate the Globe and Mail post, no doubt it will be the Christians who come through with charitable aid to the people of Indonesia.
Thank God for the gospel. Thank God for grace. And thank God for Christians. Amen!
4 comments:
While most major religions encourage generosity towards those less fortunate, Christians seem to do the best.
There are Christian organizations all over the world providing relief to the afflicted even if those sufferers are not Christian.
It also seems that those with a more conservative bent do better than those who turn to socialism. The Socialists talk a good line but prefer to reach into someone else's pocket to find the funds.
I don't know if it is still true but hundreds of millions of dollars contributed by Canadians for Tsunami relief had not been sent to the victims of that catastrophe. Some philanthropic organizations did an excellent job by getting funds to their equivalents in the inundated areas. The Canadian government under the Liberals, on the other hand, left the public and private donations in a bank account held by CIDA. There has been no recent accounting to my knowledge.
When supplies and equipment were sent, the recipient governments treated it as a tax gathering bonanza. They charged excessive customs duties and generally ripped off the aid agencies. The governments seemed little concerned for their citizens.
The United Nations talked a lot but did nothing except send people who raced around in SUVS.
The first responders to the Tsunami disaster were the United States navy and the Australian navy both of which did the heavy lifting. They were incredibly generous with supplies and equipment. It is most curious that Socialists criticize these nations so viciously.
The US is perhaps somewhat less generous in direct aid on a governmental level (while spending billions to keep the world's shipping lanes open for all nations), but its citizens are far, far, far, more generous than citizens of other countries. To the UN and statist nations, however, only what comes from the state (or is handed over to the UN) counts.
The first responders
Marines Bring Supplies
Let's hope that the Conservatives do a better job than the Liberals at dispatching Canada's DART team on a timely basis. And let's hope that they do it simply to help people, and not, like the Liberals said, to "enhance Canada's image to the world".
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