Dear Family and Friends,

Aileen and I started watching a new documentary on PBS called The U.S. and the Holocaust. It’s interesting and extremely informative.

Why should you bother watching this? Perhaps you are like me and have longstanding questions like, when did the world first learn of what was happening, and why did no one step in sooner to stop it?

This second question is one I’ve wanted to ask God as well…

Speaking of questions for God, have you noticed the uptick in weather events? And that the severity of these events are intensifying?

It seems that with every passing event, new ‘records’ are being set. For example, they are now calling the hurricane that cut across Florida this past week a thousand year event.

And natural disasters are not only becoming more severe, they occur more frequently.

Given all this, have you been wanting to ask – God, what’s going on? Are You behind all this?

The answer is: in a way yes, according to these commonly overlooked verses. “Cursed is the ground because of you. It will produce thorns and thistles for you.”  Genesis 3:17,18 NIV

When Adam sinned and was cursed by God, God also cursed the creation.

Paul says it this way in Romans 8. “Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” ‭‭ Romans‬ ‭8:20-22‬ NLT

Natural disasters is one way creation groans. So yes, one could say that God is behind these natural disasters.

But is it fair to blame God for all the death and destruction? No, it’s not fair to label all natural disasters as ‘acts of God’ when Our Creator made everything good.

In the same way God allows mankind to continue sinning and committing evil acts, God allows man’s sins and evil acts to affect His creation.

Could God step in to stop these natural disasters? He certainly can according to this story of Jesus and His disciples crossing the lake.

When a squall came down on the lake and put them in great danger, “The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.”  Luke 8:24 NIV

When God does not step in to stop a natural disaster, is He casting judgment? Jesus says not always.

“Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no!”  Luke 13:1-3 NIV

So, if God is capable of stopping these natural disasters and He is not casting judgment on anyone, why doesn’t He stop them all?

Simply put, we do not know why God does what He does.

Romans 9:16 NIV says, “It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”  Verse 18 follows with, “God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.”

God has mercy and compassion on whom He decides.

Our response is to trust in the Lord with all our heart. (See Proverbs 3:5)

A somewhat related question that many of us want to ask is, ‘God, are these storms and natural disasters signs that the end of the end times are near?’

This question deserves more time than we have left, but we’ll close with these words of caution.

Jesus says in Matthew 24:36 NIV, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,but only the Father.” 

Many are speculating that the end is near but the truth is – no one really knows.

Jesus follows this end times discussion with a parable about ten virgins. The parable ends with, “keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”  (See Matthew 25:1-13)

After reading Matthew 24 and the first parable in Matthew 25, our natural response is to focus on getting our house in order. For we want to be ready when the end comes.

My words of caution is this: let’s guard our hearts from becoming inward focused.

When one thinks the end is near, our natural instinct to survive kicks into high gear. Our focus and priorities change as we begin to think of no one other than ourselves and our loved ones.

Then we stop doing what Jesus commanded us to do – love our neighbors just as much as we love ourselves.

Which brings us to the second parable of Matthew 25 – the bags of gold. Two of the servants end up doing well with the gold entrusted to them. The third servant decides instead to bury the gold entrusted to him.

The parable ends poorly for the third servant who did nothing. “Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  (See Matthew 25:14-30)

The best way to prepare for the end times is to keep loving sincerely, keep hating what is evil, keep clinging to what is good, stay devoted to one another in love, and keep honoring others above ourselves. (See Romans 12:9-10)

And when we do, one day we too will hear words that fill our hearts like no other words can.

Well done, good and faithful servant!

In love always,