Where is God in all these diasters?

Where is God in all these disasters?
by John Madeley

An earthquake in Indonesia, a tsunami affecting Samoa and Tonga, a
typhoon hitting Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia, devastating
flooding in South India, severe drought in Kenya and Ethiopia.
Hundreds of people dead, tens of thousands displaced. Suffering on a
massive scale. It all happened in a week in late September this year.

What is going on? Where is God in all these disasters? Why doesn’t God
intervene to stop them? These are fair questions. The meaning of
suffering is difficult for us to answer, but what we do know is that
God gives a free will. In that sense God is vulnerable to our choices.
If we chose to exercise that free will in a way that is damaging for
others, and for ourselves, God does not stop us.

God gives us freedom, to choose the right or the wrong path. If we
choose the wrong path, it will grieve God’s heart, but God does not
stop us, does not act like some giant policeman in the sky. God the
Son died on the cross 2000 years because people decided he should die.
They exercised their free will. God did not stop them. The world is
not God’s puppet theatre.

God guides us to use our free will in accordance with his will for us.
But if we ignore it, if we turn away from God, if we abuse natural
resources, then consequences may follow.

We should stop calling disasters “natural disasters”. Severe floods
and droughts, hurricanes. typhoons and cyclones are occurring at twice
the rate of 40 years ago. They are not as natural as they seem, they
are more related to the way we live than they appear. Disasters are
increasingly related to climate change, to emissions of carbon, to the
world’s heavy use of energy. And that includes our use of energy.

A few years ago, Christian Aid published a report entitled “Unnatural
Disasters”. It said that rich nations such as Britain were condemning
poor countries to an "ever increasing number of overwhelming
humanitarian catastrophes".

Climate-related disasters, which kill thousands of people and cost
millions in terms of providing aid to stricken populations, are
manmade and should no longer be termed natural disasters, it said.

But what about earthquakes? 98% of people who die in earthquakes die
not because of the earthquake itself, but because buildings collapse
on them. They are related to poverty. On tsunamis, we know from the
2004 tsunami that here nature's barriers were intact - mangroves
forests along coast lines for example - there was far less damage. New
tourist hotels, shrimp farms etc had caused many to be removed.

Where is God is these disasters? God is with those who suffer. And God
is with us, calling us to be more responsible stewards of the
beautiful wold he created.

What can we do? At the very least we can support the 10/10 Initiative
- cut our emissions of carbon, our use of electricity, gas, oil, by
10% by the end of 2010. Cutting our emissions is vital if our
children, our grandchildren are to have a future. It’s vital if
children women and men in poor countries are to have a present. Where
is God in all this? God is working in us.

Based on a sermon given at Caversham Heights Methodist Church on 4th October.

Appeal for disaster victims in Indonesia, Samoa and Tonga

An appeal for prayer and funds for victims of the tsunami and earthquake tragedies in Samoa, Tonga and Indonesia has been launched by the Methodist Church in Britain.

The Church’s World Mission Fund granted £10,000 to aid the relief work of partner Churches in the region.

Steve Pearce, Partnership Coordinator for Asia and the Pacific, said: “As ever our partner Churches will feel enormously supported knowing that Methodists in Britain are praying for them. The appeal and grant money will go to partner Churches, which are playing an important role in rebuilding communities.”

Anyone wishing to donate to the appeal can do so online here: http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentoworld.content&cmid=1492 or by sending a cheque payable to the World Mission Fund and posting it to Dave Bennett, Fundraising Coordinator, at Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5JR. Postal donations should be labelled ‘Pacific Appeal’.

A State of Emergency was declared in Tonga for Niuatoputapu, the closest island to Samoa with a population of around 1,000 people. The General Secretary of the Free Wesleyan Church in Tonga is due to travel to Niuatoputapu by boat today. The 1,000 inhabitants of Niuatoputapu island have been badly hit by the tsunamis and earthquakes which have rocked the area. Food, clothing and kitchen utensils are set to arrive in Niuatoputapu by boat tomorrow.

Steve added: “I have been unable to reach the President or the Methodist Church headquarters in Samoa by phone, but it is clear that the Church will be heavily involved in the recovery both spiritually and pastorally in the weeks to come.”

In Indonesia, the main centre of the earthquake damage has been in Padang on the island of Sumatera. The Methodist Head Quarters is in Medan more than 1,000 miles away.

Steve continued: “We have not heard news from the Methodist Church in Padang as yet. We have sent an initial solidarity grant and will respond further to our partner Church as their need becomes clearer. I have assured the church and its members of our prayers and support.”

Updates on the partner Churches in the affected region will appear at www.methodist.org.uk as soon as news is available.

The following prayer has been posted on the Methodist Church in Britain’s website and churches are encouraged to use it during worship on Sunday.

Prayer

Loving God,

Who cares ceaselessly for all creation,
We pray for the people of Samoa;
That they may know your pacific touch in these days of earthquake and tsunami,
That the ocean, the moana, may continue to surround and sustain them,
That your compassion may help women, men and children
Live with the loss of their loved ones,
Overcome the destruction of their homes and livelihoods and
Deal with the fear of what the future may hold.
Let us feel the breeze of your Spirit in the sails of our companionship with the Island peoples of the Pacific and
Let us see the light of your presence as we plot the course of our common Discipleship within your worldwide Church.

Amen.

Source: Methodist News Service 02/10/2009