Is it just me, or are there others out there who might be asking some telling questions during the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy? I am beginning to question a couple of things that I see in the “American Response.” Rest assured, it is not the Disaster Relief efforts that I question. There are an estimated 20 million without power – or were a day ago – I could not find an update to that this morning. Most of those were in the city, where backup power, freezers full of meat and shelves full of canned vegetables are not available to countless people with propane camping stoves on which to cook like out here in the Ozarks. It does seem to me that country folk really CAN survive. Those in the city are truly in peril at times like this. I pray disease, starvation, and exposure will not overwhelm too many in the coming days. Disaster Relief efforts are sometimes the only available survival method.
But I question those who seem so quick to reject and rebuff the idea that such a storm is a Divine Judgment upon our nation. Are you so sure? Storms of horrific magnitudes were used by God, according to the Scriptures, to judge Israel – or to convince Egypt to free the Hebrews from captivity. Many well-meaning Christians will not take a bold stand on this issue – except to reject the idea. I have several questions surrounding this topic that experience is leading me to ask.
1. Might our spiritual condition as a nation be continuing to deteriorate simply because we refuse to consider that our Loving God would allow such suffering in our nation? Or might we be willfully ignorant to the wake-up calls God is very likely giving us? I see our country denying God at every turn. We no longer pay attention to ANY evidence that there is a Living God actively involved in our lives or our national experience. Pastors are most to blame on this matter. Those who boldly preach the judgment of God on the unrepentant soul, those who diligently work to explain the prophetic Scriptures concerning the end times in Revelation are missing the boat when it comes to recognizing the “signs of the times.” They are only looking at political, economical, and religious signs. Some even acknowledge that the USA is glaringly absent on the world stage when Christ returns and the Tribulation is begun. Yet, with that acknowledgement, could it be that God is systematically allowing our nation to break down – and storms like Sandy and Katrina are sent by God to make the timing of that break-down just so? What about the destruction of Joplin, MO by tornado coming at Christmas? Consider my next question to fully understand what I mean by the national effect such a “regional” storm creates. But before I get to that, I need to mention that the spiritual condition of our nation is at an all-time low if the concerns of our country and those affected by such a storm is any indication. By that I mean, we are sadly missing the point when we cry more because we missed “trick-or-treating” and parades and parties because of the storm rather than grieving over lost life, new threats to our neighbors (survivability concerns) and the like. Consider this article I found: Another Superstorm Casualty: Trick-or-treating by Joclyn Noveck, Associated Press. She seems to think this to be an important issue – and points out how we are more interested in “getting back to normal” immediately than to address the things God is trying to communicate to us. “ ‘We went on right after 9/11,’ said Fleming [a Halloween parade organizer]. ‘It was a wonderful affirmation of New York's spirit.’ Still, she added, she understood the factors that went into Bloomberg's decision [to cancel the parade, but allow trick-or-treating if people insisted].” Maybe “back to normal” is not such a great thing. Could going “right on” speak more about New York’s non-Christian perspective than we normally consider?
2. Those who deny God’s involvement in such disasters ask the question, “Who, really, is God judging by such a storm?” Good question. Could the answer be that God is judging the entire nation? The cost of this and other storms really is borne by the entire country. Disaster relief costs money and people. Our nation’s economy is a mess. The damage estimates are in the $ Billions – and taxpayers foot the bill. This cannot help our economy – much of the income generated in our nation comes from the North Eastern Seaboard region. This slows down our GDP and economic recovery – though rebuilding will mean more jobs, the insurance costs will certainly rise as a result. Our nation also is not so blind as to see the timing of the disaster – certain to have some real effect on the election outcome. Our Lord puts those in power whom He will. Lastly, the location of the storm makes a difference. The population center is in the North East. Hurricanes traditionally hit us in the South East. Yes, they were “due” – but the big picture is “when” and where that price is put upon us. So, it is entirely possible that this Superstorm is one way God is trying to wake America up – not just those directly affected. He is trying to get our politicians’ attention, our taxpayers’ attention, and our Christians’ attention (as we provide a great portion of the labor in Disaster Relief). These storms truly DO cost our entire country – not just those who suffer directly with grief and survivability issues. I believe that our nation will pay a high price at the hands of this storm. It will cost us economically, politically, spiritually, and socially. Who is God judging by such a storm? He is judging a nation!
Our country has only one biblical response – and that primarily lies with the Believers. We are the voice of God to the rest of our countrymen – at the polls, in the pulpits, and in the media. Our response is to obey that wonderful passage, 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” God’s people (Christians) need to humble themselves and they need to repent of their wicked ways. When that happens, God will heal our land. I believe that when we do that, the lost will begin to believe the gospel. When we do that, our power as believers will grow according to our faithfulness and holiness, and America will begin to be populated by the kind of people who made our nation great in the first place, guided by the principles that made America great in the first place. I’ll post our national sins for which we should repent in another entry.
I welcome your comments and perspectives on this and all of my blog posts. I also ask that you feel free to share my ideas – but please, be honest when you do, and allow me credit for offering my position. Nevertheless, to God be the Glory!
Holler for Jesus,
Greg Yount
No comments:
Post a Comment