Global catastrophes sadden us. The images are terrifying and experiencing such moments in history are painful. Why does God allow this to go on? Is He causing it? Where is God in hurricanes and pain? Here are some answers that make sense biblically.

God Is Opposed to Storms

When God first created the world, He pushed back the chaos. He brought order where none existed. This is what much of Genesis 1–2 is about. This is why God’s focus at the beginning is the sky and the waters. He is pushing back the madness. He calls doing so “good.”

When God’s will is connected to natural disasters in the Old Testament—like the flooding of the earth—God is not happy about it. It’s a last resort. It means God letting His own work be undone. He isn’t causing the big disasters in the Old Testament; He is moving out of the way of the disasters that would be present otherwise. He wants order, not the chaos of storms. The storms sadden God. (Why destroy what you created? God wouldn’t want to destroy His own creation.)

The East Coast Disaster Seems Natural—Not Caused

God reaches His last resort in very distinct moments, like when an entire city has turned away from righteousness. This was the case for Sodom and Gomorrah, where not even ten righteous people could be found (Gen 18:32–19:29). This was also the case for the flooding of the earth—only Noah and his family were found to be righteous (Gen 6–8).

I know righteous people on the east coast; you know righteous people on the east coast. If we do the math and run the probability of God causing all this, the answer here is pretty clear: God doesn’t want this. Instead, it’s caused by the chaos that still exists in the world. This type of chaos has been present ever since people went against God. But there is good news in the midst of this sadness.

Things Can Change

When Jesus came, died, and was resurrected, the very fabric of the relationship between people and God changed. Likewise, the relationship between people and the out-of-control creation changed.

Jesus brought full reconciliation. In relationship with Jesus, people can freely come to God to receive His grace.

Jesus calmed storms. Jesus walked on water. Jesus talked about how to build spiritual houses that would withstand storms. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, which empowered us to do His work. We are able to look into the eye of the storm with hope. We must join together to pray against it—for God to intervene and move against it.

Pray

Please pray for those in the midst of the chaos or recovering from it. Please pray for the chaos to be pushed back. Please pray because it matters. It can change things.