Psalm 91:1-2 — He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
I’ve heard the summer in Juneau described as,“The Summer That Never Was.” The amount of rainy, cloudy, cool days this summer has been discouraging for many, frustrating for others, and disheartening as we are already approaching fall. Winter is around the corner for more clouds, rain and cold. Maybe such events call into question, “What does God have against us, anyway?”
This prompts a deeper question, “Does God send bad things (a rainy summer, tragic accidents, disasters, etc.) to punish us?” Notably, in Scripture, we find disaster (the Genesis Flood, the Ten Plagues) specifically defined by God for a divine purpose. There are other events that happen that have nothing to do with judgment or God’s wrath. They just are. Even Jesus alluded to such disasters (Luke 13) where several died horrible deaths. He asked, “were they worse sinners because they died in this way?” (my paraphrase). He said, no! But then his message was, “Repent or you will perish.” Jesus was more interested in our eternal destiny to be with God, not separated from God.
In recent weeks, we have seen a cold wet summer in Juneau, but in Texas, Louisiana, Florida and the Caribbean, we have seen unprecedented destruction by three back-to-back hurricanes. Many people have been displaced, lost their homes, and are going through great struggle to survive. There are many ministries, churches and volunteers who have rushed to the scene to help people, to come alongside, to help, to supply needs, to give hope, to pray with them. That is what disaster brings out, which we celebrate — love, giving, help and hope. And many of those people are sharing the hope we have in Jesus Christ. When “our world” is falling apart, we have something rock solid to hold on to — our faith in God who loves us and cares for us. That is the hope I have tried to share in various chaplain roles over the years.
Why did calamity happen? That is a question people have been talking about and arguing about for centuries. We still don’t have an adequate answer. But I know this: I wish God prevented all calamity, but in His sovereignty, He doesn’t control us nor the world, making us all like robots. I don’t understand it all, but I lean on God who is loving, faithful and who wants to help us through those hard times.
I recall watching a program on C-Span several years ago, about author Immaculee Ilibagiza. A Rwandan, who survived the genocide by hiding in a bathroom for days, was visiting America. She was standing in line at a book fair to meet an author and when the author discovered she was from Rwanda, and that she had survived the horrendous ordeal, asked how she could still believe in God after all the killing of her people. I don’t remember the exact quote, but her answer was, “How could I not still believe in Him. He is my rock, my help, what gets me through the pain and loss.” May we not turn against God, who can help us, who loves us and who can see us through any calamity. Rather may we turn to God, through his son, Jesus Christ.
• Dan Wiese is pastor of the Church of the Nazarene. “Living & Growing” is a reoccurring column written by different authors and submitted by local clergy and spiritual leaders.
