You’ve seen the headlines: Hurricane Dorian is currently churning in the Atlantic Ocean, leaving a trail of wreckage behind…it’s horrifying.
And if you’re like me, you have to ask yourself, “What is God doing with all of these natural disasters? Where is God? If God is real, where is God in the midst of this?” I think sometimes we worry about asking those questions as Christians, as if we’re somehow not being faithful by wondering where God is when things are falling apart.
I want to tell you something.
God is big enough for your biggest questions.
…He’s God! He can take it.
And honestly, we can’t walk faithfully with God unless we come to him in full honesty – hard questions included.
Now what’s amazing is the Bible says all of creation groans and labors with birth pangs for the revealing of the sons of God. Every natural disaster that happens is part of the birth pangs of creation, as we wait for the return of Jesus where everything that was broken will be set back in the way that it ought to be.
So every time we see one of these natural disasters, we can also be reminded that God has promised everything that has been mangled by sin will be set right again when Jesus returns.
Of course, that doesn’t change the seriousness of the devastation we see in our world because of hurricanes and earthquakes and forest fires. Even though God will set it all to rights one day, there is legitimate suffering that we have to grieve in the here and now.
But I want to really encourage you that when we see these natural disasters, we can respond in a few practical ways.
First, we can pray. We should pray for people who are in the midst of these disasters.
Second, we can ask, “How can I help?” When we see devastation in the world around us, we all can ask ourselves how we’re going to be involved in the solution, involved in helping other people.
And you know what’s really beautiful?
Even though the time when Jesus will make all things right is in the future, when we pray and take small but important steps to get involved in helping, we become part of how God is unrolling his plan of redemption in the world – right here and right now.