The images of the devastation Hurricane Harvey has
had on the people of Texas have been truly difficult to see. People have been
killed, their property destroyed, and their lives ruined. Now, as the flood
waters are beginning to recede another hurricane is on the horizon and close
friends in Florida are fleeing their homes. Many people have asked where God is
in all this. Lately I have read more than one article from a prominent Christian leader asserting that God is doing this to punish America for
one thing or another. However, this type of thinking
is not only poor theology, it is also damaging to the spread of the Gospel, and
a crime against common sense.
When we try to understand these types of mega disasters
or even the smaller scale disasters that just impact our own lives and
families, we need to remember two things. The first is that we live in a fallen
world and are subject to its forces; and the second is the theological construct
of Theodicy.
The first one is a bit easier to understand. Simply put,
the world we live in is not what God created. As the story goes, God created a beautiful
garden where there was no death and loss. However, because of our free will and sin, the
world was cursed and now there are things like floods and hurricanes and
sickness and death. Through all this however, God is seeking to put the world
right. God is doing this all the time. One of the main actions God has taken
was sending Jesus to live, die, and rise to new life for us. But nevertheless, we still live in that fallen world and are subject to its fallen reality. Jesus
even says that God, “makes his sun
rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the
unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45)
This brings us to the
concept of Theodicy. The thinking here is that God does not purpose or intend
evil. “For he does not willingly bring affliction or
grief to anyone.” (Lamentations 3:33) Rather, all of us act and live within
the permissive will of God. That is, God does permit evil and terrible things
but he does allow them to happen. However, allowing something to happen is very
different that causing or purposing it.
What this means is
that God loves us so much that he gives us the free will to love him in return.
However, that free will comes with the same price it did way back in the Garden
of Eden. That price is the consequence of our actions when we exercise our free
will in ways that are harmful to us. After all if we are to be truly free to
love and show kindness and humility, we have to be truly free to hate and to do
evil. It is the price of our freedom and it means that sometimes people will exercise their free will in ways that we loath. It is why sometimes bad things happen to
good people.
The people whose
lives have been devastated by Hurricane Harvey and the people whose lives will
be devastated by Hurricane Irma, are therefore no more good or bad than anyone
else. God loves them as much as he loves any of us. God is also not seeking to
punish America for anything; rather God is always working to bring good out of
evil. God is always working out his will for us gently and lovingly, respecting
our free will and always giving us the chance to love him in return.
May God’s love and
grace therefore be poured out on the people in the path of these storms. When
the rain stops and the sky clears may they know they are loved and not despair.
May they feel the loving presence of God and know “that
all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called
according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
