FACING DANGERS AND DISASTERS (PART 3 - WHAT ABOUT SUDDEN DISASTERS?)

 WHAT ABOUT DISASTERS THAT COME SUDDENLY WITHOUT APPARENT WARNING?

"For man also knows not his time: as the fish that are taken in an evil net, and as birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them." Ecclesiastes 9:12

DOES GOD WARN US? 

 YES, HE DOES! "Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets." Amos 3:7. All throughout the Bible, the prophets give such warnings to individuals, rulers, and nations. In Acts 11:28, Agabus (a prophet) warned of a coming famine. He also warned Paul of coming chains and captivity Acts 21:10-14. According to the Scriptures of the Bible, WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED to someone. Apparently someone was not listening and/or not transmitting the warning, or people were not receiving the warning. We all have to ask ourselves, "Am I listening and paying attention?"                                                                               In the Old Testament, the prophets were sometimes called watchmen if they were appointed by God to warn the nation of coming judgment. A heavy demand was laid on them, and if they failed to warn the people, the people's blood would be on them (Ezekiel 33:1-9). The church now has that responsibility.

   Today, God also uses our government agencies and public service professionals, like scientists and researchers, to give us early warnings of coming storms, earthquake activity, flooding, and so on. We also have police reports and even the media. It is up to us to heed the warnings and do what we can to avoid possible disaster. We do have a responsibility to take our own precautions and keep ourselves informed. Jesus admonished us to watch and pray (Matthew 26:41; Mark 13:37).

 This is an underlying concern worldwide. Nevertheless, our confidence as followers of Jesus is that, because we have put our trust in Him, we can trust Him for all our salvation. He imparts His peace ("You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts You." Isaiah 26:3). It is a peace which passes understanding (John 14:27, Philippians 4:6-7), knowing that our life is in His hands, not man's or nature's. That does not mean we are to be unconcerned or careless. We, in humility and the fear of the Lord, watch and pray, do what we are able, and we leave the final results to Him.  

 UNDERLYING REASONS FOR DISASTERS FROM HEAVEN'S PERSPECTIVE                Psalm 91 addresses reasons for dangers and disasters, and the safe place in Christ.  Disasters that overtake people are not just an accident. Jesus gave an example of two such instances in Luke13:1-4. The first was when Pilate brutally executed some of the people, and the other was when eighteen were killed when a tower collapsed. What did Jesus say was the reason for their fate? "...Do you think that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but except you repent, you shall all likewise perish." ("The wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23, "...for if you believe not that I AM HE, you shall die in your sins." John 8:24). 

Not all are instigated by God, but all are subject to Him. Many things that befall us as individuals or as a people are a reaping of what we sow, or an attack of the devil. Job 1, 2. "Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by Me: whosoever shall gather together against you shall fall for your sake." Isaiah 54:15, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap." Galatians 6:7. "WATCH AND PRAY..." Matthew 26:41

   Our sins leave us vulnerable to dangers and disasters. Dear friends, walking in constant conscious obedience to the Lord should be our lifestyle: "And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.'" Job 28:28.  We must never take frivolously what the Bible calls sin and sinful behavior. If we walk in willful and unrepentant sin, according to the Bible, we should expect danger and disaster. As with the individual, so it is with the nation. "Let no man deceive you with empty words: for because of these things comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not, therefore, partakers with them." Ephesians 5:6-7

 Furthermore, as already stated, we the Church have the wonderful but huge responsibility to spread the Gospel to the world around us. Outside of Christ, people are in their sins and in danger of judgment because of their lost state, just as we were. They are very defenseless, and we have the Answer for their salvation and safety. In a society, all are impacted. Dear Lord Jesus, may we be found faithful.

 Does that mean that everyone who gets hurt or dies in disasters is an unrepentant sinner? NO! The book of JOB covers this topic very clearly. There are so many circumstances which only God knows. We just have to accept that His judgments are just and perfect. We, on our part, are to live uprightly and in faith before Him, and He will do what is best for us. He sees and knows everything, and is working in each person's life through it all. Some mysteries are not ours to unravel. 

  CLEARLY, with this in mind, our focus in life should not be 'always trying to be safe', BUT TO BE RIGHT WITH GOD! And our goal to be right with God should not be just to be safe from harm, but because it is the right thing to do! We want to love God, because God loves us and He is Good. God's ways are good, just, holy, and true. How better can we live than that? That should be the motive of our hearts. Whatever happens after is incidental.

WHAT ABOUT CHILDREN?

  In this fallen world, the innocent and the helpless often fall victim to or through the folly of others. As parents, this is a heavy burden. To a large extent, God holds the parents responsible for the children's safety and welfare. That is such a sacred call that it lands fifth within the TEN COMMANDMENTS ("Honor your father and your mother."), which is actually before "you shall not kill"! Children and the helpless are the true victims of human folly. We are to cover our children in love, prayer, faith, and our obedience to God. As believers in Christ, they are holy and accepted of the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:14). We abide in Him and entrust them to Him in confidence. Again, there are too many circumstances involved that only God can address, but be assured, dear parents, that our choices and lifestyles will directly affect the safety and welfare, as well as the destiny of our children. Please understand, the following example does not apply to all, but God took King David's son, who was born to Bathsheba, obviously, not because of any fault of the infant, but as a punishment to David and Bathsheba for their sin. The child went directly into the arms of the Lord (2 Samuel 12). We can also be comforted by the story of the Prodigal Son; the son endangered himself by his own choices, but Jesus did not indicate any guilt on the parents' part (Luke 15:11-32). 

WHAT ABOUT DISASTERS THAT TAKE INNOCENT PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THE FAULT OF THEIR LEADERS? 

  In God's eyes, are we so innocent? "For through the anger of the Lord it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till He has cast them out from His presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon." Jeremiah 52:3

  King Zedekiah's move was obviously foolish and ultimately disastrous, but notice that the hand of God was in it to fulfill His wrath against the wickedness and rebellion of Jerusalem and Judah. In 2 Samuel 21, there was a famine in the land because King Saul had killed the Gibeonites, and it would not lift until David avenged their deaths. In this case, it was clearly the leader who was at fault. In 2 Samuel 24, it says that the Lord's anger burned against Israel, and He moved David against them by numbering the people (which was against the Lord's command). In 1 Chronicles 21:1, the Bible says that Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel. Obviously, Israel gave Satan a foothold, which angered the Lord and moved David by allowing Satan to provoke him to sin. In this case, as was the case with King Zedekiah, it was the fault of the people that disaster came, even though the bad decision came from the leaders. "The King's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water, He turns it wheresoever He will." Proverbs 21:1. Dear friends, we can become so desensitized to our sin and are shocked or angry when bad things follow, yet not realize that we are to blame.  If Jesus called that generation an adulterous and sinful generation (Mark 8: 38), and they were heading into God's wrath, where do you think our generation is heading, especially for us here in Canada, considering what we have been doing? 

WHERE WAS GOD IN ALL OF THIS? WHY DID IT HAVE TO HAPPEN?

 We have already established that "He is in the whirlwind and in the storm", and in the disasters He is working, "...When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?" Amos 3:6. This also implies that the safety of all dwellings is fully dependent on the Lord. Therefore, godliness and moral integrity are our greatest defences. Our personal responsibility is to walk with Him uprightly with all of our hearts and commit our welfare into His loving and merciful hands ("The angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear Him, and delivers them." Psalm 34:7). He will take care of us, but remember, the Lord is always watching and working, and that also includes His judgment against sinful and ungodly behavior. Thankfully, He does not punish us every time we err, whether individually or as a people group. He is always giving us room to change, "...the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." Genesis 15:16, which means that he gives us time to reconsider our ways and get back on track with Him. Any disaster that follows unrepentant sin is well earned. 

 THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: if ungodliness and immorality are growing where we live, expect trouble and consequences if it remains unchecked! As Christians, our first responsibility is not to be a partaker with them in any form or agreement, but to cry out to Him for mercy. Nor do we as Christians attack even verbally. Rather, in love, humility, and godly fear, we admonish. Implementing laws to control people's behavior may work for a while, but God's true answer is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because He changes hearts, minds, and lives, which is the ultimate way of removing sinful behavior. So godliness, overcoming evil with good, loving our neighbour, prayer, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ are the best defences for preventing disaster.

DOES GOD GIVE PERSONAL WARNING AND DIVINE INTERVENTION?

 Indeed He does. God warned both Abimelech and Laban in their dreams. Genesis 20:3-7, Genesis 31:24. Notice that both men were neither Jew nor Christian. God does give warnings in various ways, sometimes by speaking to us directly, or by dreams, impulses, conscience, the voice of others... but in every way, He actively steps in where He sees it is necessary. We have all had those experiences where we were unintentionally late and missed a disaster. Or we felt a need to turn in another direction, or not to stop where we intended to. Yes, the Lord intervenes far more often than we likely realize, for both saint and sinner alike, Halleluiah! "For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the Living God, Who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe." 1 Timothy 4:10

HOW COME SOME PEOPLE GET AWAY, AND OTHERS DO NOT?

 There are questions that only God can answer, but be assured, He knows and cares about each individual. He knows all things; His judgments are just and perfect. "The righteous perishes, and no man lays it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness." Isaiah 57:1-2 "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." Psalm 116:15, "I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility; there is a righteous man who perished in His righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness." Ecclesiastes 7:15. Again, this is only something that the Almighty can sort out, and we have to trust His perfect judgment.

NEXT - FACING THE THREAT OF WAR