Death by Natural Disaster

Death by Natural Disaster
my Reflections and Paraphrase of Dr. Erwin Lutzer's Writings


Although life is precious, the fact is that earthquakes, storms, and natural disasters do not increase death. The people who die in a natural disaster would have definitely died at a different time and place if that event hadn't taken them when it did. Everybody is going to die someday. It’s simply the way they died that causes us so much grief.

When we hear about a natural disaster we should grieve with those who grieve, and we should ask what we can do to alleviate their suffering. Our humanity causes a bond of sympathy to form which should promote action to be taken in one way or another. We should not be like those who practice the 'blame game' who look for a scapegoat such as blaming the government, leaders, builders, or if no person can be blamed... even God Himself!

When looking at the many horrendous trials which befell Job, one was when all ten of his children died in a natural disaster. There was a wind storm that blew down the house. Job was confronted with the fact that because of a natural disaster, there were 10 fresh graves on the hilltop. So now what is he going to do?

His wife says to curse God and die. But Job said, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Though we might share in the sentiments and anger of his wife who was also grieving the loss of her children, we can also choose to reflect the righteous sentiments of Job who shows us it is possible to worship God even without explanations, even when we don’t know all the reasons.

What we need to realize is that God can be trusted, even when it seems as if He is not on our side. We have to comprehend and accept the fact that God has intervened in our planet by sending Jesus Christ who gives eternal hope beyond the few minutes when the devastation took place. Though our eyes might be muddied by the disaster that happened, through Christ we see the love of God most clearly.

Martin Luther also had great spiritual insight much like Job. When speaking on the disasters and painful things we go through, he said, “When you look around and wonder whether God cares, you must always hurry to the cross and you must see Him there.” When the pressures are on, we look beyond our present predicaments to the glories of heaven which Christ has supplied the entrance to.

God's love, care, and concern goes far beyond the mere grave.

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And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.
(Romans 8:17-19)