I’m sure your yesterday evening/night was spent much like
mine: glued in front of the television watching the reports coming out of
Moore, Oklahoma, as the search and rescue teams looked for survivors after a
deadly EF4 tornado destroyed everything in its path. My heart broke as I heard reports of
devastation and death: children killed at Plaza Towers Elementary School, a
mother and her child killed as they attempted to get into a deep freeze, and the
stories go on and on, each one as lamentable as the other.
When we see such devastation, when we look at the loss, and
when we feel the pain caused by disasters such as this, we tend to ask a few
questions. First, we ask, “Why?” Second, we ask, “Where was God during this?” Third, we ask, “How can a loving, gracious God
allow something that produces so much hurt and pain?” Fourthly, we ask, “Did someone’s actions cause this? Is this disaster the direct result of personal
sin?” Some of these questions
will never be answered in our lifetime (and that’s not a copout; that’s
reality). But there are several passages
of scripture that can shed light on our questions and give hope in our despair.
Oftentimes, events, especially natural disasters of this
nature, cause us to put things in proper biblical perspective. In light of the disaster, there are 5
pastoral observations that I want to make.
1.
We Control Nothing.
Who among us had enough strength, enough power, and enough
authority to stop what occurred? Of
course the answer is: No one. For a
control-hungry people, the fact that we face events in life that are completely
out of our control is difficult and disturbing.
The fact that we aren’t in control begs the question: If we
are not in control, then who is? The
answer is this: God is in control. Do not think that God lost one ounce of His
control and sovereignty on May 20th.
It wasn’t as if God was in control, and then He lost it for a moment,
thus prompting the tornado and destruction.
If He ever lost control the result wouldn’t be a powerful EF4 tornado,
but the end of all things. Please, don’t
think that God loses control in Tornados, Hurricanes, or other natural
disasters.
Scripture is filled with declarations of God’s sovereign
control over all things. “29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?
And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” (Matthew
10:29) “27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even
winds and sea obey him?”” (Matthew
8:27) A quick note: The winds obey
Jesus, not Satan. Satan has NO authority
over winds, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Even
the smallest, nonessential issues are a product of God’s sovereign control: “33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its
every decision is from the LORD.” (Proverbs
16:33) After the national tragedy of
Judah falling into captivity in 586 B.C., Jeremiah wrote, “37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded
it?” (Lamentations 3:37)
In disaster and devastation, the only thing we can cling to
is God’s sovereign control over the all things.
2. We
Must Not Boast About Tomorrow.
James 4:13-16 says,
“13 Come now, you who say, “Today or
tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade
and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your
life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15
Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or
that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”
I couldn't help but wonder this while looking at all the
destroyed homes and listening to the reports of death: How many people, when
they built or bought their home, expected it to be destroyed in this
fashion? How many people woke up that
morning thinking it would be the last time they saw their children? How many people woke up realizing May 20th
would be their final day upon this earth?
Sadly, we tend to treat the future so flippantly that it is classified
as “evil” in James 4:16.
Let us rejoice in the gift of today. May God forgive us and remove from us the
presumption that tomorrow is a guarantee!
3. We
Live In A Cursed, Groaning World.
Paul says this in Romans
8: “18 For I consider that
the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that
is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager
longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation
was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it,
in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its
bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of
God.”
Tornados, hurricanes, and other natural disasters were not originally
in the design of God’s creation. You would
not find a Katrina or an EF4 tornado prior to Genesis 3. When God created all things he summed it up
with these words, “It was good.” It was
only after Adam sinned and the entire creation fell under the curse of sin that
disasters followed.
The Degree Of Suffering Doesn’t Correlate With The Degree Of Wickedness
One of the most helpful passages is Luke 13:1-5. Here, we read:
“1 There
were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose
blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered
them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other
Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but
unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 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? 5 No, I
tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
This passage is remarkable.
Some people came to Christ, telling him about how Pilate had killed a
group of Galileans while they were offering sacrifices (that is what it mean
when he mingled their blood with their sacrifices). Their assumption was this: For them to have
suffered this terrible death, they must have sinned terribly. Jesus’ response was this: The Galileans
didn’t suffer to this degree because they were worse sinners than others. In fact, Jesus told them that unless they
(those who were questioning Christ) repented, they, too, would perish. He then references a disaster: The tower of
Siloam fell on 18 people, killing them.
Again, Jesus asks them if they were worse sinners than others because
they were killed in this event. The
answer again is this: No!
To bring this home, let’s ask this practical question: Were the people of Moore, Oklahama, worse
sinners than the people of Salyersville, Kentucky? Moore, Oklahoma not only experienced
devastation, they also experienced death (something Magoffin County was spared
on our March 2nd Tornado in 2012).
Were the people of Morgan County, Kentucky, worse sinners than the people
of Magoffin County? After all, Morgan
County experienced fatalities on March 2, 2012, but Magoffin County didn’t. The answer is, “No.” God forbid that we have this mentality!
Natural Disasters Are A God-Given Reminder Of Sin’s Destruction
One might not see it, but natural disasters, while acts of
power and devastation, serves as a tool of grace. While that statement seems odd, I hope we can
see the biblical purpose of it.
John Piper
described the why best when he said:
“God put the natural world under a curse so that the physical horrors we
see around us in diseases and calamities would become a vivid picture of how
horrible sin is. In other words, natural
evil is a signpost pointing to the horrors of evil…He disordered the natural
world because of the disorder of the moral and spiritual world – that is
because of sin.”
We can’t “see” the calamities associated with sin. Why?
Oftentimes, the calamities associated with sin are unseen, in a
sense. But when the natural order is
placed under the curse of sin, disaster ensues.
What do the disasters prove? They
demonstrate how serious, deadly, and devastating sin is.
Why do hurricanes hit the shore? Sin.
Why do tornados obliterate towns?
Sin. Every disaster is the direct
result of one man’s sin: Adam’s. D.A.
Carson said, “God uses disaster as a
mega-phone to call attention to our guilt.”
When we survey the damage, look at the debris, feel the hurt,
and hear the stories of death, let it serve as a reminder to us of the
devastating effect sin has on people!
You want to know what sin will do to your life? Look at what an EF4 tornado did to Moore,
Oklahoma: that will be your life if you follow sin!
Creation Is Waiting
Each disaster, each diagnosis of cancer, each death is this
created order groaning, crying out, and longing for a brighter day. Paul calls that day the “revealing of the
sons of God”. In other words, creation
is waiting for the day when God’s children will be revealed as such: His
children without any hint of sinful nature; we shall be perfectly like
Him. When this occurs, the natural order
will revert to pre-Genesis 3 tranquility.
Why will this occur? Revelation
22:3 says, “And there shall be no more curse.”
4. We
Rejoice In A Hope That Can’t Be Destroyed
Romans 8 says that God also gave creation “hope”. The hope he is referencing is the promise of Genesis 3:15. In that promise, while God is speaking the
curse of sin upon creation, He gave hope in these words: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed
and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” God promised a deliverer, a Savior, a
Christ! The hope is this: Christ will
restore creation to its original “good” design through His death, burial and
resurrection!
How Can We “Rejoice” In That?
I choose the word “rejoice” carefully. When we watched the coverage, “rejoice” isn’t
a verb that comes to our mind. Sad?
Indescribable? Horrific? Devastating? Maybe.
One doesn’t think of the word rejoice
when they are standing in a pile of rubble that 24 hours ago was their home;
nor do people think of the word rejoice
when they see their loved one lose every worldly possession they have in a
matter of minutes; nor do people think of the word rejoice when they have a loved one leave this world
unexpectedly. Yet, my biblical challenge
is to rejoice. And we can do just that.
For the child of God, our rejoicing is based on our
hope. If our hope endures, our rejoicing will endure. If the object of our hope is destroyed, then our
rejoicing will be destroyed as well. In
other words, if one’s hope is in a house,
then a tornado can take it away. If one’s hope is in a car, then hail can
damage it. If one’s hope is in physical well-being, then death can snatch it. But if our hope is anchored in something
eternal, then a tornado, hail, wind, or death can take away my rejoicing and
joy. Jesus said, “…no one will take your joy from you.” (John 16:22) Jesus put this
perspective on it: “19 “Do not
lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where
thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures
in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break
in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will
be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
I encourage you: Have
your hope anchored in something that a storm can’t take away. Have your hope anchored in something that
sickness can’t take away. Have your hope
anchored in something that death can’t take away.
5. If
You Were Frightened By The Sights Of An EF4 Tornado, Can You Imagine What the
Judgment of God Will Be Like?
In most people’s heart (mine included), there is a fear of
that which we cannot control, especially when that is a strong tornado that is leveling everything in its
path. Yet, that uneasy feeling and fear
that gripped our heart when the sky turned black and the wind roared will not
compare to the feeling we will have when we stand before God. What is more terrifying than staring down a
deadly tornado? Standing before the God
of the tornado.
Revelation describes how men will respond to the coming of
Christ: “15 Then the kings of
the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful,
and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks
of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us
and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the
wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and
who can stand?” (Revelation 6:15-17)
It is the living out of the old Negro spiritual:
I ran to the rocks to hide my face.
The rocks cried out, “No hiding place.”
The rocks cried out, “No hiding place.”
