“When It Rains, It Pours”
The title of today’s column is a cliché; but for many Americans last week, it became more than a cliché as hurricanes Helene and Milton crossed our country leaving unbelievable destruction. As Helene passed through, folk likely thought and perhaps said aloud, “Things can’t get any worse.” But they did.
The prophet Amos tells a story of a man who fled a lion only to run into a bear. When at last he arrived home in one piece, he laid his hand on the wall to rest, and a snake bit him. (Amos 5:19ff) We should not expect life to be fair. However, major tragedies like hurricanes and floods are hard to accept.
There was a time when no one understood nature’s storms and certainly could not predict their arrival. We have grown smarter. We now know how hurricanes form and can predict their time of entry. That information is helpful and saves lives. What we have not learned is how to stop them. One could wish there were some potion we could send into the world to stop storms much like shots we take to stop diseases. Perhaps that will be true one day. We can do many things today that once were presumed impossible. However, such a concoction does not presently exist.
In the Old Testament people believed disasters came from the hands of God. The occurrence of life’s storms was often regarded as God’s punishment for our sins. While there could be some truth to that, it is hard for me to imagine a God who would destroy four states to punish a few people. Why did He not include us in that punishment? Aren’t we sinners, too? When God created this earth, He set in motion natural laws that apply to all. Augustine said, “God could have made a world without sin; but in His wisdom, He chose not to do so.”
I do not understand the why of many things. I am certain I do not know how the hurricane/flood victims feel. In no way would I belittle their pain and tragedy. Still, I trust God, who created our world, to control it as He sees fit.
History teaches us that God takes the worst and turns it into good. May that happen promptly for the victims of this disaster.
