Confessions #39: I do not understand the disaster in Japan

By On March 23, 2011 · 10 Comments

Have you seen any videos from the devastation in Japan caused by the earthquake and tsunami’s? How many lives have been lost? How much damage has occurred? I am not sure anybody can even quantify the potential long term problems caused by radiation exposure. The disaster is enormous.

Some have responded with questions about God’s role in such tragedies. While Christian evangelicals fight and debate over Rob Bell and what it might mean for love to win, others are asking how a loving God could let or maybe even cause these things to happen.

So, let’s ask the question. How does God’s love fit in with this horrific disaster? Is he all powerful but not loving enough to stop it, or is he loving but too weak to do anything about it?

And now that I asked the question I will tell you that I am unable to answer it. Often people, both Christian and nonChristian, attempt to explain what God’s role in these things are. We end up saying stupid or horrible things. Case in point is Pat Robertson’s conjecture about the Haiti earthquake being punishment from God for voodoo.

Although I am unable to answer the questions, I still believe that he is both all powerful and that he loves us.

I do not want to minimize any of the suffering in Japan, but there is a tragedy that is far greater, that is more disastrous, and affects more people than what is currently happening there. This disaster was the Fall.

Our sin and broken relationship with God has caused more problems, death, and disease than anything else in human history. God made the world and said that it was good. And then sin changed everything.

To me his love is manifest in that he provided a way for us to be reconciled back to him. That he made a way of rescue. Instead of just leaving us to ourselves and then one day judging us for our sin, we can be reconciled to him. We can be justified and stand before him without guilt.

Not only did he provide a way, but he did it in an incredibly sacrificial way, through the death of his son.

As I pray for those affected in Japan, I know that God loves me, and I know that God loves them too. Salvation from this disaster and salvation from the disaster of our sin is possible, because of this love.

If we are to be imitators of God, then we need display a self-sacrificial love. How have you been able to share with others the love that God shows us?

 

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  • Lindsay Million

    While i like what you write, i don’t think you really addressed how you started the blog. To simply say, i can’t answer it is no enough. While there is no concrete explanation, there is a way to address suffering in this world without doing the pat robertson. The question of suffering and how/if/why god allows/causes it is a huge one. it is a big deal both for Christians and non-christians.
    what do you say to someone who asks why god caused the earthquake? why didn’t god stop it?
    just wondering your thoughts! :)

    • http://www.jeremysconfessions.com Jeremy's confessions

      I sort of answered the question. For I doubt neither God’s love nor his omniscient, without being able to fully explain it why these things happen. If anyone claims to be able to fully explain it, then I would doubt what they are saying. I would add the age-old difficult trial verse of Rom 8:28. I believe that even this works out for the good of those who love God and have been called according to his purpose, I just can’t be specific about how it applies. I also think about what Joseph told his brothers, “What you mean for evil, God used for good.” In general I would say that he allows the consequences of our sin (death, destruction, disease, war, etc) and then uses these things for good in our lives. I think the default mode of saying it is judgment for a specific sin is far fetched. I was hoping you would comment some day Lindsay.

  • http://charlieschurchofchrist.wordpress.com Charlie’s Church of Christ

    I totally understand why people want to figure out God’s involvement, but really we won’t know. We can try to deduce exactly how and spends thousands of hours figuring it out – but we won’t. It’s just sooo tough.

    • http://www.jeremysconfessions.com Jeremy's confessions

      I agree. If we try to completely understand and know what God is up to, then we are fooling ourselves. I don’t think he has told us everything about myself, just what we need to get us back to him and survive this side of eternity.

  • http://homekettle.wordpress.com David N.

    I guess the route I have taken is that God is all-powerful, but doesn’t often manipulate nature. I think He relates to us spiritually for the most part, and allows the autonomous universe He has made operate according to the physical laws He was put in place. I think He certainly CAN manipulate nature, and maybe very occasionally does, but not nearly so often as people like to act.

    Not a fully formed thought, but it helps me.

    • http://www.jeremysconfessions.com Jeremy's confessions

      Great point. Personally I have never seen anything that defies the natural laws of science. It seems that God made it and he lets it happen just as he made it. Which brings up another issue. To what extent should Christians argue with what is observed in science? Did you hear that? It was the sound of a can of worms being opened.

  • http://www.messiahmom.wordpress.com kristinherdy

    I don’t know, either. I don’t know why tragedy strikes some and not all? I do know that the rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous, which might be a good thing or a bad thing (depending on whether it’s a healing rain or a torrential downpour).

    I can’t answer the question of why, because God has not told me why, but I feel he’s told me to trust, to keep faith and to hold on to him when tragedy strikes and to help those in the middle of troubles.

    • http://www.jeremysconfessions.com Jeremy's confessions

      Trust is hard. Trusting sometimes involves not knowing.

  • Pingback: On trust | Jeremy Statton's Confessions of a Legalist

  • Lindsay

    I completely forgot to check to see if you responded to my comment. i thought about it today because we were talking about these confessions at work today.
    I agree with quite a lot of what has been said. i think God could manipulate nature, but doesn’t. I think God lets natural law take it course.
    I also believe that God does take evil and make good from it. Good can come from every situation, no matter how horrible. the good might not “equal” the bad and we might not see it, but it is there–somewhere, someday.

    I also appreciate just having the discussion. i don’t think any one of us has it all figured out (i too am wary of those folks) but the discussion must happen…even without concrete answers

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