It was Monday evening and almost time for our Study. A knock came to the door and a student, who always arrives about ten minutes early, walks in. She takes her place on the couch and we engage in conversation. Because of the earthquake, she believes God must be angry with us, which in her mind makes God responsible. I thought about this for a moment and responded, “If God is love, why would he cause so many incent people to suffer?”
Earthquakes are a natural phenomenon that occurs all the time due to the movement of earth’s plates. Over time, pressure builds up between these plates and when that pressure reaches a certain point, the two plates break their grip on each other and move with a jerk, called an earthquake. The sudden movement causes structures to collapse, injuring and killing many. To say that God is responsible for the earthquake and that it is an expression of his anger is not a good conclusion. It is simply a fact of life that earthquakes happen, causing people to suffer. They are no different than powerful storms, which also are a fact of life. So is death. We will all die sometime.
Our willingness to blame God is found in the statement, applied to disastrous natural phenomenon, “Acts of God.” These natural phenomenon are not acts of God delivered against people in his anger, they are simply events that occur when certain conditions are met. God is not unaware of when these events will occur and may well be planning for them. He may use them to advance his own purpose, as I believe he is doing here in China.
Great natural disasters get people’s attention, causing many to consider things they might not otherwise think about. In China, you now hear statements like, “We need to pray.” and “It is a miracle.” on news broadcasts. One of the largest changes is the freedom allowed in earthquake news reporting. I have never seen such detail and freedom as I now see in these reports. Earthquake reporting has opened up China to be viewed by the world in a way never seen before. Also, groups of people, who were before restricted, are allowed to come together and help in the rescue process and many people are now taking a different look at life, which opens the door to spiritual things in new ways. There is no question about it; the earthquake has opened a door to change here in China that will change the nation and its people. Time will tell how big that change will be.
Was the earthquake the result of God’s anger? No, but it was an opportunity for him to change the course of history. A God of love has the ability to take a great disaster and bring good out of it. God took the great disaster of human sin and through the death of his Son on a cross, he provides eternal life for those who are sincerely interested. Let us be careful about blaming God for things he is not responsible for and instead consider how he wants to show mercy and extend grace to us.
Earthquakes are a natural phenomenon that occurs all the time due to the movement of earth’s plates. Over time, pressure builds up between these plates and when that pressure reaches a certain point, the two plates break their grip on each other and move with a jerk, called an earthquake. The sudden movement causes structures to collapse, injuring and killing many. To say that God is responsible for the earthquake and that it is an expression of his anger is not a good conclusion. It is simply a fact of life that earthquakes happen, causing people to suffer. They are no different than powerful storms, which also are a fact of life. So is death. We will all die sometime.
Our willingness to blame God is found in the statement, applied to disastrous natural phenomenon, “Acts of God.” These natural phenomenon are not acts of God delivered against people in his anger, they are simply events that occur when certain conditions are met. God is not unaware of when these events will occur and may well be planning for them. He may use them to advance his own purpose, as I believe he is doing here in China.
Great natural disasters get people’s attention, causing many to consider things they might not otherwise think about. In China, you now hear statements like, “We need to pray.” and “It is a miracle.” on news broadcasts. One of the largest changes is the freedom allowed in earthquake news reporting. I have never seen such detail and freedom as I now see in these reports. Earthquake reporting has opened up China to be viewed by the world in a way never seen before. Also, groups of people, who were before restricted, are allowed to come together and help in the rescue process and many people are now taking a different look at life, which opens the door to spiritual things in new ways. There is no question about it; the earthquake has opened a door to change here in China that will change the nation and its people. Time will tell how big that change will be.
Was the earthquake the result of God’s anger? No, but it was an opportunity for him to change the course of history. A God of love has the ability to take a great disaster and bring good out of it. God took the great disaster of human sin and through the death of his Son on a cross, he provides eternal life for those who are sincerely interested. Let us be careful about blaming God for things he is not responsible for and instead consider how he wants to show mercy and extend grace to us.
