Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Hurricanes in recent years have caused an unprecedented level of damage to lives and property. Throughout the US, tornados have become a constant source of concern for millions of people.
Flooding has been experienced in many parts of the country that had not previously experienced such. Flooding has also been noticed in Europe and even North Africa.
Hurricane Helene in September 2024 was a series of conditions rarely seen. Normally, when hitting land, hurricanes lose strength/intensity. With Helene this was not the case. The coastal areas of the Florida Big Bend experienced storm surges that were unprecedented.
As catastrophic as those storm surges were, the worst was yet to come. Several south-eastern US states experienced flooding beyond anything anyone of this generation had ever seen. Lives lost, billions in property damage, infrastructure (highways and bridges) washed away and hundreds missing set records.
The water cycle (Ecclesiastes 1:7) has been pushed to the limit. Helene picked up so much water vapor from the Gulf of Mexico, it had to go somewhere. Excessive rains were experienced as far north as Illinois and Indiana.
The sale of tornado shelters and air-boats skyrocketed. People are moving (if they can afford to) to higher ground and out of the fire, flood and earthquake-prone areas. The price of insurance premiums has gone through the proverbial roof and underwriters are pulling out of some of the disaster susceptible states.
How is the average person expected not to be concerned and be increasingly anxious over the developing situations as they exist? To be concerned for life and limb is understandable, but most material possessions can be replaced.
When working with disaster relief agencies, we have seen piles of personal possessions, wet and muddy in people's front yards. A range or washer can be replaced, but family pictures, Bibles and important legal documents are sometimes irreplaceable.
We consistently witness the perfect universe God has made by His spoken Word (Genesis 1:3). We clearly see the precision of His creation. The perfect orbits, speeds and distances of the planets and moons in our solar system demonstrate to us He has designed a perfect system that cannot be changed by the hands or will of man.
Why would we doubt His omnipotence or omniscience to continue to make everything function within His perfect plan? Is there a God-explainable answer for all these calamities?
The answer to the last question is "yes" and "no." The answers we seek are in the Holy Bible and outside of that sacred text, all we will get is opinion or speculation.
We know the phenomenon of the warmer ocean (and gulf) waters is a periodic occurrence experienced by South American fishermen as far back as the 1600s.
Spanish fishermen named it El Nino de Navidad. The reason being, El Nino usually peaked in December, which has long been regarded as the Christ Child's birth month.
The ultimate answers are in the Holy Bible. Does the Bible teach that bad things do not happen to good people? Not specifically, but examples are given! Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ live on this earth the same as the non-believers
Also noted is that God at times uses our situations to magnify and glorify Himself or accomplish His purpose. Such a case is the story of Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob (Genesis 37-45).
Acts 7-8 tells us of the stoning of Stephen for preaching Jesus crucified and resurrected. Indeed, bad things do happen to the servants of our Jesus and that will not likely change until He comes back.
Should we expect these natural disasters, wars and levels of hatred and persecution to cease? Only the foolish would! Mankind has spit in God's face too many times and He has His limits.
Our sinful and perverted sinful lifestyles have pushed God too far. He is patient and longsuffering, but has His limits. Psalm 103:8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love. "Slow to anger" does not mean He will not become angry.
Many Christians with good intentions have written a different gospel to correspond to their own notions or lifestyles. That won't work! If it's not in compliance with the teaching of John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10 or John 14:6, it's wrong, wrong, wrong!
Revelation 22:18b If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.
Could the United States of America and possibly the whole world be under a state of divine wrath? Is the world being prepared for the return of our Glorious Savior?
Could so many natural disasters and the perversion of mankind simply be coincidental? I'm going to have to say: "I don't know." But I'm inclined to think, the first two questions are answered "yes." The third question is answered: "It appears obvious?"
Regardless of the entanglement generated by so many questions, we must always teach that eternal salvation is attained by a faith-based belief (Ephesians 2:8) in Christ Jesus crucified (Matthew 27:35) for the remission of sin (1 John 1:9) and resurrected (Matthew 28:6).
Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Breathe in, breathe out, focus, move on!
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary ([email protected]).