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Righteous suffer
equally in disaster

My neighbor asked me what God had to do with the devastation throughout the Gulf Coast. I followed the storm closely since I used to have an engineering office in New Orleans. The Superdome opened in 1976, and its air-conditioning system failed within a few days. The piping inside its four 640-ton absorption chillers melted. I fixed the Superdome air conditioning that year.

Five reactions generally follow disaster. The naysayers announce that God has punished the area since it was sinful. Others say that if there was a God, he would have prevented the disaster since a loving God would not allow people to suffer. The politicians who are out of office will blame those in office, and vice versa. Some will take advantage of the agony to exploit their neighbors. A final group will experience God's love and provision in this hurt and end up praising him.

Scripture states that God described his creation of the heavens, the earth and all that is within these as good, not perfect, and that there was more work to be done. Man was created to work the ground and tend the gardens and the animals. Man was given dominion over the earth. Dominion entails responsibility. It demands caring for others, lest dominion becomes domination.

We learn from Scripture that Adam, the first man, disobeyed God. That choice has involved humanity in a constant, unending struggle to regain our original union with the Divine. Scripture tells us that God ordered disasters like the flood in Noah's day because all but Noah were evil.

A consequence of Adam's rebellion is that all ground was cursed, and thus painful toil is required to eat. Our lives are measured by time. There is a time for all things, to be born, to die, to dance, to weep, to gather and to lose. We are all subject to time and chance. Accidents and storms are part of life. We are to be responsible, prepared for the unknown and ready to meet God at any time. Being prepared does not ensure that the righteous will not suffer the same catastrophe as the unrighteous. God's people in this area suffered great losses just like everyone involved.

New Orleans is 10 feet below sea level. It had a system of dikes and pumps to keep the water behind the walls. The last major construction on the dikes was 80 years ago. Concern about the safety and reliability of this system was ever present. Our country unloads much of its oil through the gulf even though the protection system in place could not withstand the possible storms. We collectively gambled and we lost the gamble.

The system failed, and we suffered the consequence of this failure. We reap what we sow. We are risk takers and we lose at times. Safeguards are expensive and money is scarce.

Scripture tells we are to build our lives on rock and not sand, since houses built on sand will not stand when storms come. Make no mistake, storms will come to each of us. Indeed, we all will die, and no one knows when the bell signaling our individual demise will ring. Are you ready to lose your life? This is inevitable. You cannot avoid it.

God loves every individual in the afflicted area and across the earth. He loves everyone on Earth regardless of their culture, looks, beliefs and possessions. God works on behalf of those who wait on him. God works in the darkness. I found that God loved me when I was ungodly. There are those who will turn to God out of this terrible tragedy; some will do the opposite. Those who seek him with their whole heart will find him. Scripture promises this, a promise worth testing.

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