Another week and another part of our country has been devastated by another hurricane. This time it was Hurricane Irma wrecking havoc upon Florida. I must admit that it is hard to comprehend a storm that was 400 miles in diameter. And to see pictures of the bay at Naples completely dried was mesmerizing. I read an article that this storm changed the coastal line of western Florida. Now that was one powerful storm.
Hurricane Irma following so closely upon the heels of Hurricane Harvey has caused many to ask the question: why did this happen? We know that the property damage alone will reach into the hundreds of billions of dollars. But no price can be placed upon those lives that have been turned upside-down. Slowly the pieces of life will be rebuilt but the memories will often haunt those people for years. So, what caused these two powerful storms to occur?
But let's broaden the question. Why is there evil in this world? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is there pain and suffering? Why are homes being destroyed and lives uprooted by the wildfires out west? Why is violence on the increase within the urban centers of our country? Why was a police officer struck and killed while doing his duty? Why was a young would-be mother kidnapped, brutally murdered so that someone else could have the baby? And the list of questions could go on and on for page after page.
According to the actress Jennifer Lawrence, the hurricanes are a direct result of the election of Donald Trump as President. According to Ms. Lawrence, Mother Nature is angry with the election results and is spilling out her fury. One almost has to laugh at the foolishness of such thinking. Yet I am sure that she is not alone with that opinion.
I found a very interesting passage of Scripture that speaks to this matter of evil in the world. It really is Jesus' comments about two tragic news stories of His day. You can read the account in Luke 13. The first news item Jesus comments upon is the violence that had occurred at the temple while some were making sacrifices. For reasons not known, many were killed by Roman soldiers under the authority of Pilate. People were shocked and asked Jesus about it. Here was His reply: "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." It is as if Jesus is saying to those who asked the question: "Bad things happen to people. The question that should be asked is this: Why didn't this happen to you? How you need to be ready to die because you do not know when it will happen?"
The second headline concerned eighteen people who died when a tower in Siloam fell on them. We are not told how it happened; it was just some sort of construction accident. These people just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Again, listen to the words of Jesus: "Do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." Jesus is saying, "Accidents do happen. The question that should be asked is this: Why didn't this happen to you? How you need to be ready to die because you do not know when it will happen?"
Friends, we live in a fallen world; a world under the curse of sin. Storms happen as a result. Wildfires happen as a result. Innocent people are murdered as a result. Bad things happen to people because we live in a fallen world. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma occurred because we live in a fallen world. Car accidents happen. Innocent children die in our city's streets. Property is destroyed. And it is all because of a sin-ridden world we live in.
But there is hope. Tragedies happen, but God is always in control. I was just reading this past week the account in Acts 27 of Paul's shipwreck. The thing I rediscovered within that story is that the shipwreck did not need to occur. It happened because of a foolish choice made by the captain of the ship. If Paul's advice had been heeded, the ship and its cargo would have been spared. The owners of the ship would not have suffered loss. And the sailors, passengers, and prisoners would have been spared much trauma. Yet through it all God was in control and He was exalted as that chapter of Paul's story came to a close. And I believe we will see such closings as the stories of Harvey and Irma begin to unfold.
But allow me to share just one final thought. Let's see: two hurricanes, among the most powerful in recent times, a 8.2 magnitude earthquake that rocked southwestern Mexico, dozens of wildfires that are destroying hundreds of thousands of acres in California and the Pacific Northwest. Is there a message to be heard? Could it be that what Paul says in Romans 8 is happening right before our eyes. You will remember his words: "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time" (Romans 8:22). Could it be that the earth itself is yelling at us to get ready because the end is soon at hand and it, too, will be freed from the curse placed upon it there in the Garden of Eden?
Yes, bad things are going to continue to happen to all people. Yet we take solace in knowing that God is in control. And we also heed God's warnings through nature that His return is soon. (By the way, if you want to do a very interesting Bible study, look at all the references to how God will use His creation - nature itself - in the last days. It is a fascinating study).
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