Our last blog addressed two of the most common questions people ask: Why did God allow this to happen? and Is God responsible for tragedies? Today, we will address another common question: Does God use natural disasters to judge the world?
Many times, God is accused of sending hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc. If God is to blame, why did Jesus rebuke the storm? Why do intercessors pray so storms don’t hit or impact? Why do believers pray away storms?
Matthew 8:23-27 23Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke him, saying, “LORD, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Psalm 107:29 He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.
If God sends storms to judge a particular area of the country, why would Jesus speak to the storm and rebuke it and then teach His disciples (and us) to speak to storms and situations? Why do prayer ministers and intercessors spend time warring against tragedies, if God is the one behind these storms and situations? This would mean they are going against God’s Will.
The tragedies listed above happen because of the result of sin in the world and the work of the enemy who comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10). These natural disasters happen because we live in a fallen world. Sin entered the world after Adam and Eve were deceived in the Garden of Eden. God created the Garden as glorious and perfect; however, when sin entered, creation was corrupted and began to deteriorate. When we look at a gorgeous sunset over the ocean, the beauty of the Northern Lights, the majestic Rocky Mountains, the depth of the Grand Canyon, or the awe of Solomon’s Temple, we can’t imagine that God’s original creation was even more magnificent. But it was!
Romans 8:22 says, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” Our world has been exposed to corruption from the moment Adam and Eve were put out of the Garden. Further destruction continued for our planet at the time of the flood in Noah’s days. The earth was completely covered under water and the continents were divided (Genesis 10:25).
We live under a New Covenant. God is not judging the world. He is not putting sickness on anyone to teach them a lesson. He is not sending disasters to punish anyone. God sent His one and only Son to take the punishment (judgement) for the world and sent Jesus so the people of this world might be saved. “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgement to the Son” (John 5:22). “And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” (John 12:47).
The last command Jesus gave to His disciples (and all believers) is to go and preach the Gospel (The Good News) and make disciples and lay hands on the sick and they will recover. How could a loving God send His disciples and believers out into the world to preach the “too good to be true news” and, at the same time, be sending storms of destruction?
Jesus, paid for our sins and sickness at the cross over 2,000 years ago, and not only for ours but also for the whole world (1 John 2:2). The only sin that remains is those who do not believe in Him (John 16:8-9). If you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, ask Him into your heart right now!
God does not use natural disasters to judge the world; they are a part of the fallen nature of man. Live free and speak to the storms in your life and, just like Jesus, command them to be still and cease!
~Donna Jones