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Monday, January 03, 2005 Tsunamis and GodHere's how the recent tsunamis spoke, rather strongly, to me (written last Thursday, 30th Dec):The slowly dawning realisation of the extent of devastation by the recent tsunamis in Asia has probably had us all thinking and asking some difficult questions. In today's paper, news that the death toll is near to 70,000 and still rising, pictures of the unbelievably widespread destruction, personal stories of tragedy and of hope, and an article "Is God to Blame?" An immediate response is awe at this demonstration of God's power - far greater than anything the biggest weapon of man could wreak. Scripture tells us that earthquakes are God's domain (as the newspaper article quotes from Job "God sends earthquakes and shakes the ground, he rocks the pillars that support the earth"). So, is God to blame? This is how it's been speaking to me, rather loudly. No, the blame is with man. God in Genesis 3:17 cursed the ground because of man's sin. God's creation was perfect, God pronounced it "good". In fact, very good. That doesn't sound like an earth wreaked by earthquakes and all the other natural disasters. And man was created in God's image, to live in this "good" creation, created to live as immortal beings in a perfect creation. No wonder, clothed in mortal sinful flesh, in a creation now cursed, we experience dissonance. God has made us for something far better. I see the tsunamis as actually a merciful act by God. Why did those people in Asia perish and not us in Australia, for instance? Are we better humans in some way than them? Not at all. We too deserve and will experience the same wrath of God, very soon. Unless we heed the warnings given by a merciful God who by His grace gives us warnings and time to repent and turn to Him. These are warnings and time we don't deserve. They are acts of God's grace. I do feel strongly that we as Christians need to be telling this urgent message to a world facing great and awful judgement. The message that, with the coming of Christ, and particularly his death and resurrection, this is the beginning of the end of the curse on our world. We see merciful God holding out loving hope, amongst the most severe of warnings. ********************************************************************************** And in today's paper "God alone knows why there is suffering on earth". As Mike Raiter said at BHC, our world has heard the most terrifying clarion call these last few days, but who will listen? It is a wake-up call to a world under judgement - judgement that is imminent, hence there's nothing more urgent than proclaiming that message - for God has fixed the day! And Paul Barker "It would have been terrifying on those beaches, watching the tsunamis coming - but it's more fearful to fall into the hands of judgement of the living God". What awaits (the world) is a fearful prospect of judgement (more fearful than the greatest tsunami, and absolutely certain. ********************************************************************************** Looking to Jesus as our example in responding to this tragedy, we see that he didn't try to explain evil in the world but always sought ways to comfort those who suffer. While never ceasing to preach the need to repent and turn to God (such as in Luke 13:3-5, regarding another tragedy), he was always full of compassion! "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." # posted by geoff @ 10:36 am 0 comments
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