Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
If there is a God of love, of compassion, of mercy, why does He permit natural disasters? The TV images are etched in our memory as vividly as if the horror were next door. The atheist simply says, "There is no God! Forget him." The Muslim says quite likely, "It's the will of Allah that this happen! Somehow it pleases him. Submit." The Calvinist will say: "God predestined this to happen. It was his will," much the same as the Muslim's view. The materialist will shrug his shoulders, and say, "I'm glad I don't have to suffer like that!" and go on seeking pleasure. The Bible transcribes his thoughts, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" (1 Cor. 15:32).
One flood survivor was reported to say, "It's like the gods have abandoned us." What can the Christian say? It's not so much saying something as doing something. He will give generously to help send relief. He will also give, and go if possible, to tell the people the truth of God's character of love, in other words, the gospel.
But what can one tell them? There is both good and evil in this world of sin; God created a perfect world, but sin has ruined it. Therefore, plagues have come and will come. But God has shared the sorrow that sin has brought to our once-perfect world, became One with us, and suffered the most intense agony that sin could bring to anyone--crucifixion. He is Lord of lords and King of kings, but not yet has the time come for Him to re-create this earth into the new earth because "the course of this world" is still in rebellion against God, and Satan is still "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2).
Tell the suffering people that we can cherish a "blessed hope" in the second coming of Christ, that He will wipe away all tears. And if any of us have survived floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, plane or car crashes, crime, cancer, etc., we should remember what life we have left and what little we may have, and do what we can to lessen the suffering of someone else.
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus ..." (Phil. 2:5).
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 8, 2000.
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