On January 12, 2010 the island nation of Haiti was devastated by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake. Of its nine million residents, it is estimated that 200,000 lost their lives, another 250,000 were injured, and two million became homeless. News of this tragedy was brought to our attention on a daily basis. Politicians and celebrities appealed to Americans to donate money to help the people of Haiti. All of the pain and suffering caused by this earthquake lead some to ask why God would allow such a thing to happen.
There were times when God used natural forces to execute His divine judgment upon people. However, not every occurrence resulting in the loss of life is to be viewed as a direct act of God’s judgment. In Luke 13, Jesus spoke of an occasion when a tower fell and killed 18 people. Most of the Jews had concluded that such was an act of God, and that the victims were sinners deserving of God’s wrath. Jesus said, “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (vv. 4-5). According to Jesus, these eighteen individuals did not die because they were the worst sinners in the town. They died because they happened to be standing under a tower when it fell. Their death was the result of an accident. Ecclesiastes 9:11 says that time and chance happen to us all. This means that bad things sometimes happen to us through no fault of our own.
We need to remember the nature of the world that we live in. When God first created man, He placed him in a paradise garden. God gave man everything that he needed, with only one restriction: “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). When man ate from that forbidden tree, sin entered the world. As a consequence of that sin, God cursed the man and his wife, as well as the serpent that had tempted them (Genesis 3:14-19). However, God also cursed the ground: “Cursed is the ground for your sake” (v. 17). The whole earth changed that day. Man no longer lives in a paradise garden, but in a fallen world. As such, we can expect things like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, avalanches, hurricanes and tornadoes to occur. When they do, we should not say that they have happened because of God’s anger or lack of concern. Natural disasters are just that – natural. They are a consequence of living in a world that has been cursed by sin.
Not only do we know the nature of our world, we also know the risks that are associated with living in different sections of our own country. Those who live on the Atlantic Coast or along the Gulf of Mexico know that there is a chance that they can be hit by a hurricane. Those who live in the Midwest know the dangers of living in “Tornado Alley.” Those living on the West Coast know that they are living on a falut line, and that an earthquake can strike at any moment. Sometimes the damage is minimal, sometimes it is great, but eaither way such occurrences are a part of living in those areas.
If one is able to look for them, there are actually some benefits to natural disasters. For one thing, they remind us of the awesome power of God, who has created this world in which we live. Secondly, disasters bring out the best in some people. The characteristics that we admire the most (courage, bravery, honor, self-sacrifice, generosity, compassion, etc.) are born out of trying circumstances. In moments of tragedy, ordinary people show extraordinary concern, courage, and compassion to meet the needs of others. Also, tragedies and natural disasters cause us to long for something better. If this world were perfect, then no one would want to go to Heaven. If no one wanted to go to Heaven, then no one would prepare themselves to go to Heaven.
Our hearts go out to those who are affected by natural disasters. Let us use these tragic occurrences as opportunities to reflect upon those who are less fortunate than we are, the matchless power of our Creator, and the better existence that awaits those who fear God and keep His commandments.
