I'm well aware that barely a week goes by that some place in the world isn't coping with a catastrophe of one kind or another. We also have our own storms in life - someone or some event that tears through us leaving us shaken and devastated. This is what a hurricane does, tears apart and destroys, even kills, what is important to us.
How then, can we believe that our loving Father, who deals with us in grace with mercy, would have anything to do with a killer hurricane, flood, fires or earthquakes? The Bible says He does. At times I'm tempted to ignore some parts of Scripture so only God's kindness and love is pictured. Shame on me! No one needs to, or should, make excuses or shield anyone from the whole picture of who God is. God is God and those of us who love Him don't need to defend him. We tend to judge through 'worldly' eyes. What looks tragic to us is not how God views the situation. He has a plan and purpose for all that happens.
Whenever I begin to question what the Lord is doing I think of Job. If you've read his story in the book of Job you'll remember that God dealt rather harshly with him and his family - who, for all to see, were innocent people who were just living their lives. Job got frustrated, his faith appeared to be shaken and he asked God to answer some of his questions ...
Job 38:1 "Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm."
Vs. 4 -5 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me if you understand who marked off its dimensions. Surely you know!"
Vs. 8 "Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst from the womb?"
vs. 16 "Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?"
vs. 33 "Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God's dominion over the earth?"
vs. 37 "Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?"
These are just a few verses - you will be so blessed if you read the book of Job for yourself; it's pure poetry! The result of this 'conversation' that occurred, was that Job was totally humbled by the sovereign creator of the universe as we would be. God made it quite clear that He'd engineered every detail for the purpose for which it was made and He has sovereign authority. We are so small in our understanding and the Lord is so big, and so in control!
Psalm 107 begins with. . ."his love endures forever." Because we can count on the fact that God's love will endure forever, we can cry out to Him and know that He will respond to us. Four times in Psalm 107 the people "cried out to the Lord" and they were delivered from their distress. He wants us to come to Him, He wants a relationship with His children just as we desire a relationship with our children. Notice this, after the fourth time the people cried out to the Lord,
"He stilled the storm to a whisper, the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven." Psalm 107:29
This Psalm passage goes on to report how after a period of judgement of "wickedness" the Lord restored this land.
Has our Lord set before us these calamities of life to punish us for our sinful human nature? No, He wants us to know our human nature is sinful and He has a person, Jesus Christ, who will pay the price so we can live eternally in heaven. He wants to build faith and trust in those who love Him. Those who deny God will never trust or have faith.
"You (the Lord) have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat."
Isaiah 25:4
Can God stop a hurricane? Yes, He can! Does He always chose to? Obviously, no. He allows our belongings and even sometimes our lives to be taken by a storm. Based on human thinking, this doesn't make sense if He truly loves us. God's wisdom is always foolish to those who don't believe...I Corinthians I. The Lord is the author and finisher of our faith...Hebrews 12:2. We simply trust Him. I know, this appears to be 'too simple'. We try and make our heavenly Father complicated, but He's not.
The God of the Bible is always pointing us to His Son; the One He sent to become Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Acts 4:12
Jesus - the name above all names!
Thank you Lord that even though we don't always understand what you are doing, and why you are doing it, we can count on you to do what You've planned and purposed from the beginning of time. Help us learn to have peace in every circumstance and trust you completely.
How then, can we believe that our loving Father, who deals with us in grace with mercy, would have anything to do with a killer hurricane, flood, fires or earthquakes? The Bible says He does. At times I'm tempted to ignore some parts of Scripture so only God's kindness and love is pictured. Shame on me! No one needs to, or should, make excuses or shield anyone from the whole picture of who God is. God is God and those of us who love Him don't need to defend him. We tend to judge through 'worldly' eyes. What looks tragic to us is not how God views the situation. He has a plan and purpose for all that happens.
Whenever I begin to question what the Lord is doing I think of Job. If you've read his story in the book of Job you'll remember that God dealt rather harshly with him and his family - who, for all to see, were innocent people who were just living their lives. Job got frustrated, his faith appeared to be shaken and he asked God to answer some of his questions ...
Job 38:1 "Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm."
Vs. 4 -5 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me if you understand who marked off its dimensions. Surely you know!"
Vs. 8 "Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst from the womb?"
vs. 16 "Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?"
vs. 33 "Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God's dominion over the earth?"
vs. 37 "Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?"
These are just a few verses - you will be so blessed if you read the book of Job for yourself; it's pure poetry! The result of this 'conversation' that occurred, was that Job was totally humbled by the sovereign creator of the universe as we would be. God made it quite clear that He'd engineered every detail for the purpose for which it was made and He has sovereign authority. We are so small in our understanding and the Lord is so big, and so in control!
Psalm 107 begins with. . ."his love endures forever." Because we can count on the fact that God's love will endure forever, we can cry out to Him and know that He will respond to us. Four times in Psalm 107 the people "cried out to the Lord" and they were delivered from their distress. He wants us to come to Him, He wants a relationship with His children just as we desire a relationship with our children. Notice this, after the fourth time the people cried out to the Lord,
"He stilled the storm to a whisper, the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven." Psalm 107:29
This Psalm passage goes on to report how after a period of judgement of "wickedness" the Lord restored this land.
Has our Lord set before us these calamities of life to punish us for our sinful human nature? No, He wants us to know our human nature is sinful and He has a person, Jesus Christ, who will pay the price so we can live eternally in heaven. He wants to build faith and trust in those who love Him. Those who deny God will never trust or have faith.
"You (the Lord) have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat."
Isaiah 25:4
Can God stop a hurricane? Yes, He can! Does He always chose to? Obviously, no. He allows our belongings and even sometimes our lives to be taken by a storm. Based on human thinking, this doesn't make sense if He truly loves us. God's wisdom is always foolish to those who don't believe...I Corinthians I. The Lord is the author and finisher of our faith...Hebrews 12:2. We simply trust Him. I know, this appears to be 'too simple'. We try and make our heavenly Father complicated, but He's not.
The God of the Bible is always pointing us to His Son; the One He sent to become Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Acts 4:12
Jesus - the name above all names!
Thank you Lord that even though we don't always understand what you are doing, and why you are doing it, we can count on you to do what You've planned and purposed from the beginning of time. Help us learn to have peace in every circumstance and trust you completely.
