When Disaster Strikes

There is a lot of talk at the moment that the floods that recently caused the incredible destruction in Australia are somehow the result of God’s judgment upon the Land. As an Australian Pastor and a lover of God I just wanted to add my two cents worth to these insensitive statements. I want to emphasise that it is not my heart to cause division in the body but to help those who want to know what God’s Word actually says regarding these kinds of events.

I think it is distressing when a natural disaster occurs that people assign the blame to God. The Insurance industry calls these kinds of disasters ‘an act of God” and some religious folk call them “God’s Judgment”.  But is this true?

Let’s begin by looking at the known Nature of God through His redemptive names. His names describe not what God does BUT who He is – His modus operendi!

God is Jehovah our Redeemer

Throughout the Old Testament God revealed Himself through His redemptive names as the redeemer of mankind.  Whenever you see the name LORD in capitals throughout the Bible this is the personal Hebrew name of God, Jehovah (Yahweh). It is the name, or title, that God uses to reveal Himself as a Covenant seeking and relational God who wants to redeem, release and restore man and/or the situation.

Below are the 7 redemptive names of Jehovah that have been revealed in the Old Testament:

Title                                                     Meaning

Jehovah Jireh                                     The Lord has seen and provided (an offering)

Jehovah Rapha (or Ropheka)          The Lord our healer (or my physician)

Jehovah Nissi                                     The Lord my banner (or victory)

Jehovah Shalom                                 The Lord my peace

Jehovah Tsidkenu                              The Lord my righteousness

Jehovah Shammah                             The Lord is present or there

Johovah Rohi                                      The Lord is my shepherd

These names describe the very nature and character of God.  Note that NOT ONE of these names say “I am the Lord who takes from you, who makes you sick, steals your peace, makes you sin, leaves and forsakes you”. No! God’s nature is to redeem, release and restore, not to steal, kill and destroy. And you know what else? God does NOT change!  He is the same yesterday, today and forever!

There are many other references throughout the Bible that describe the nature and character of God. Some of these are listed below:-

• God is love (love covers a multitude of sins, it never fails or gives up) (1 John 4:8-10, 16, 1 Cor 13)
• There is NO wickedness in Him (Ps 92:15)
• God is LIGHT and in Him is NO darkness at all (1 John 1:5)
• God’s plans are ONLY to prosper you, not to harm you, His plans are only to give you a HOPE and a FUTURE (Jer 29:11)
• ONLY good and perfect gifts come from God (James 1:17)
• God does not change (Mal 3:6, James 1:17)
• God does not lie or prove false or deceive us (Num 23:19, Rom 3:4, Heb)
• God cannot act contrary to His own character and nature, which is love (1 Cor 13 Amp)
• God does not alter His Word or break His Covenant (Ps 89:34)
• God’s Word is true and stands forever (1 Pet 1:25)
• God does not test or tempt us with evil (James 1:13-17)
• God’s Kingdom does not work against itself!  A house divided will fall (Matt 12:22-28)
• Mercy TRIUMPHS over judgment (James 2:13)
• God does not withhold any good thing from the righteous (Ps 84:11b)
• All of God’s callings and gifts are irrevocable, which means without repentance where God changes His mind (see also Amp and MSG versions of Rom 11:29).
• God does not show partiality or favouritism, which means that He does not bless one person over another.  His gifts are freely available to all who believe in Him (Acts 10:34, Rom 2:11)
• God is looking to show Himself strong to you (2 Chr 16:9 NKJV)

The Father and Son are one and the same!

Jesus Himself said…

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. John 14:9-11 NIV

Jesus came to earth as the exact representation and image of God the Father!  He was God in the flesh. He was also the fulfilment of all of the redemptive names; He is our REST – our salvation, our redemption, our provision, our healing, our victory, our peace, our righteousness, sanctification, justification and so much more!

And do you know what Jesus NEVER did?

• Jesus never made anyone sick – instead He healed ALL who came to Him
• Jesus never took away food – instead He multiplied food and fed the Hungry
• Jesus never enslaved anyone – instead He delivered and set the captives free
• Jesus never caused pain – instead He healed the broken hearted and restored their soul
• Jesus never caused storms – instead He rebuked and calmed storms!

God does not use Evil

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:13-17 (see also the NLT and The Message versions of this passage)

The word’s “tempting”, “tempt” and “tempted” in the above passage in the Greek means; to examine, to investigate, to trap, to tempt, to attempt, and to test! Most of the Bible dictionary expositions of this word assign these to “the tempter”, which is Satan – not God!

God anointed Jesus with His Spirit and with power so He could go and do GOOD and that meant healing ALL who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38).  Satan has been sinning, which means breaking the commands of God, since the beginning and the reason Jesus appeared was to DESTROY (not to enforce) the devil’s work (1 John 3:8)!

Satan is a Thief!

The Scripture below says it all! It clearly shows the nature of God and also the nature of the adversary:-

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 NKJV

It is the devil’s nature (the thief) to steal, kill and destroy! He is a Murderer, and the father of lies, because there is no truth in Him (see John 8). He is an enemy (an adversary) of God and for a limited time holds and enforces the power of death (see Hebrews 2:14, 1 Cor 15:24-26 and verse 56).

“Whose nature?”

Usually when natural disasters strike many lives are lost. It is a time of confusion, fear, chaos, death and destruction. Think about this logically as well as Scripturally, by asking yourself this question: “Whose nature does this disaster reflect?”

Is there any death, killing, stealing or destruction? Then this reflects the nature and character of Satan!

We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 1 John 5:19 NIV

We live in a fallen world that is subject to sin, death and corruption. I don’t believe that everything bad that happens is a Satanic attack, but I do believe that this fallen world reflects the nature of the one who is temporarily in control. Satan roams around this earth and influences man and this fallen world. He is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. But always remember that Jesus has given us power over all the power of the enemy (see Luke 10:19). And one day Satan will be overcome and finally destroyed!

God’s Goodness!

Remember that:

• The Goodness of God leads to repentance (Rom 2:4)
• God sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matt 5:45)
• We are to imitate God and overcome evil with GOOD (Rom 12:21)
• God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:17 NIV
• Jesus did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Jesus and does not receive Him, has that which judges him—His word will judge him in the last day. John 12:47b-48 NIV

If God was to come down and manifest Himself in Australia (more specifically in Queensland where the floods hit) then we would see a completely different outcome!  He would come consistent to His nature and that is to redeem, deliver, release, set free and to RESTORE – not to steal, kill and destroy!  We would see Salvations, healings and mass revival wherever He went!!! And it is my prayer that those who have lost everything will experience God’s RESToration and will be doubly blessed in the end from their beginning! I also pray that God will be glorified in spite of the situation, and that many will come into relationship with Him and experience the benefits of Salvation, which is to be redeemed, delivered, set free, healed, prospered, restored and made whole!

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Cor 3:17 NKJV

Where the Lord is, there is LIBERTY – not disasters, floods, death and destruction!

Now that is Good News!