Hurricane destruction, like that of other natural disasters, starkly displays the conundrum that we live in with regard to bad things happening under the watch of a good God.
One family prays for preservation and rescue and is preserved and saved. God is good! Another family, maybe even next door, prays the same prayer and experiences destruction and death. God is…? It’s a difficult blank to fill in. One family praises God for His goodness and protection while another family anguishes in pain and sorrow.
Curiously, a similar scene is found in Acts 12. In that chapter the apostles James and Peter are both arrested. James is tragically executed. Peter is miraculously released. The same people were praying for the release of both. But the outcome for each apostle was very different. What gives?
A few simple observations give us great insight. First, it helps to start with the lowest common denominator: God was with both James and Peter. Despite the different outcomes, God loved each apostle equally. His goodness is the same in both situations: it is not diminished in James’ untimely death nor elevated through Peter’s miraculous release. Then there is the obvious: calamity happens to the innocent, even in the inner circle of those charged with launching the gospel message to a hurting world.
The random calamity that hurricanes and other natural disasters bring is not evidence of a distant, or maleficent, or non-existent God. At that same point, being rescued or preserved may not be evidence of God’s goodness. He is still good whether or not we are preserved from suffering. In fact, His goodness may become even more evident through the calamity.
I know this is a simple, tree-top overview of a complex conundrum. But as I have processed my own loss in life, the scene in Acts 12 has given me insight and encouragement in answering questions that have swirled around in my head and heart.
For a deeper treatment of this subject, please check out InWord’s study, Lossology 101. You may also want to check out today’s vlog: “Three-Minute Thought on Cain’s Reaction.”