Why?

With Hurricane Matthew quickly approaching the East Coast, I'm reminded of the tension we all live with:  Why do bad things happen?

Though it's no easier to stomach, we at least 'get it' when someone does something evil and the innocent are injured or killed.  We can explain it so much more easily.  Someone made an ugly decision.  Evil actions by one can affect many.  We get that.

But hurricanes?  Floods?  Tornadoes?  Typhoons?  Earthquakes?  Why?  Why, God, why?

Perhaps this is the point at which many who don't consider themselves people of faith shun God.  "If God were real or loving," one might say, "how could God let such a terrible thing happen?"  Even people of faith struggle through this.  Doesn't God control the weather?  Why wouldn't God stop a storm from killing hundreds, sometimes thousands?  Is God judging us, and does that fit with the character of God that that I thought I knew?

See...lots of questions.

There aren't many easy answers in the face of disaster and tragedy.  Nothing really soothes us and makes us feel 'okay' about the hurt and heartache we are witnessing.  But there is an explanation.  In a sense, we are under judgment, but not the way you think.

I don't believe that natural disasters occur because God is judging a particular region or people.  That's not the message of the Bible.  The story of the Scriptures is that we are all under judgment because of sin.  Sin messed all this up.

Shortly after the original sin of Adam and Eve, in Genesis 3:17 God says to Adam, "Cursed is the ground because of you." The earth is cursed because of sin.  Because of sin, everything is not as it should be.  The cosmos was knocked off its axis.  Creation is out of sync with the Creator.

Storms, floods, earthquakes...these were not part of the original plan.  This was all supposed to be perfect.  We were supposed to be in perfect relationship with God.  Sin messed it up.  Sin messed it ALL up.

What we are seeing is the result of a broken world, but this is not the end of the story.  In fact, people of faith are environmentalists of the highest order.  For while Jesus came to save humanity, we believe God is at work to redeem all of Creation.  Creation longs for this.  Romans 8:22 says, "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time."  And when Christ comes in final victory, we believe that not only are we made new, but there is a new heaven and new earth.  Everything will be restored.  No more storms, no more tragedy.

In the meantime, our hope is in prayer.  And our task is in being the people of God in the midst of tragedy, whether that means donating money, flood buckets or supplies.  Until there is a new earth and all of Creation has been redeemed, let us be the glimmer of redemption when brokenness rears it's ugly head.