And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
I think it was December 26, 2004 when a huge tsunami from the Indian Ocean struck killing almost 230,000 individuals. There was a young missionary couple serving in Sri Lanka at the time. I had tried to minister to them while they were Bible College students. They had gone to college very shortly after getting saved, “endured” their time in college, having enormous questions about just about everything having to do with faith. After college they interned in a larger church for a year and, with the endorsement of that church, quickly found support and got to the mission field in time for the tsunami of 2004. They responded immediately to the need, arriving in time to witness first-hand the death and devastation. When it was all finished this young couple returned to the United States. It is my understanding they continue to refuse communication with the pastor who had presumably led them to Christ.
I hear they maintain a strong family but longer have anything to do with the Christian faith. They told their pastor they wanted nothing to do with a God who would allow such an devastation as the tsunami created.
I think this describes well the spirit of people today regarding the Lord. We have lived in such comfort that we believe if God exists His job must be to maintain this level of comfort. That God would tolerate, refuse to intervene, perhaps even cause events that lead to suffering turns Him, in the modern view, into a monster. People are quick to point out the atrocities of the Old Testament: the slavery, the wars, the calls to wipe out populations, and proclaim the God of the Bible to be filthy, cruel. Most refuse to acknowledge the complicity of sinners in those events. A good God, as far as they are concerned, would not let sinners be than sinful.
I give all of that in contrast to our text. A “natural disaster” is described of such magnitude that a tenth part of the city fell, seven thousand souls lost their lives, and that on top of the many other “acts of God” described in the Revelation. In this case the survivors, though frightened “gave glory to God.”
This is the direction God is taking humankind. Today we are egocentric, proud, self-righteous, and quick to lay blame on God. When God finishes His plan, men will have surrendered to the place that we only give glory to God.
I believe it is the answer to almost every “hard question” people have spiritually. There are no “what ifs.” There is only God. God explains everything. Things happen in life that are difficult, devastating. We have questions.
No matter how frightened, the appropriate response is to trust the Lord and give God glory.
#HardQuestionsFaithAnswers #SurrenderToGodsPlan #FindingFaithInDevastation #TrustingGodAmidChaos #GloryToGodInEveryChallenge #Revelation11
The Tsunami, the Missionaries, and the God We Question
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