Finding God in the Midst of Disaster
September 5th, 2005
For the last week, most of us have been watching TV or reading in the newspaper about the devastation caused in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana by Hurricane Katrina. When something so terrible like this happens, sometimes folks begin to ask difficult questions: Where was God in all of this? How could God allow such things to happen? What can we do in the face of such overwhelming despair?
These are not simple questions and they deserve more room than I can devote to them in this column. However, I do think it’s important for the church to address such questions. First and foremost, I believe that God is right there, smack in the middle of the destruction and chaos, suffering alongside the people. I do not think events like this mean that God is absent or has “turned his back” on anyone. Particularly, I do not think we can say that God sent this hurricane either as a way to teach us a lesson or as some kind of divine retribution for our sin. This hurricane was not an "act of God," as it is commonly referred to in the press. It was a natural event, without moral implications. When a tower collapsed in his day, Jesus responded to similar questions about God’s responsibility during tragedy. In Luke 13:4-5, he points out that those who died in the disaster were the unfortunate victims of circumstance, not God’s punishment. Likewise, those people along the Gulf Coast did nothing to “deserve” Hurricane Katrina and we should be quick to call out those who attempt to say otherwise. The short answer is that God allows for weather to happen in much the same way that he allows for the laws of gravity to work. If I jump off a diving board, I will drop down. If weather systems gather in certain circumstances, hurricanes will form. Hurricane Katrina is not proof of God’s lack of goodness or his lack of power.
When we see so much devastation, it’s also easy for us to immediately jump to the cliché that God will use this disaster for his purposes. That may be true. But that does not mean that this was a good thing or that the immediate pain and loss for those affected will be any less. The belief that Christians should never feel sad or grieved because they trust in God’s ultimate providence is misguided. Jesus knew that he could raise Lazarus from the dead and yet he still wept for him. God may very well use this situation for his purposes. But let’s celebrate that fact even as we continue to weep with those whose lives have been so touched by this hurricane.
The good news is, we are not without recourse in the face of this disaster. We can send a donation to help relief efforts. And we can pray, for those who have lost so much, for the ongoing reconstruction of lives and property, for the families and friends who are in need even at this hour. I encourage us all to give and pray in the next few weeks, with the realization that it will take years for recovery. For now, let us take some comfort in the fact that God is with us, and God is also with those in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.