(By David Kubal) As Houston dries out and another hurricane is barreling its way toward the U.S., I have heard many people ask: “Is God trying to tell us something?” I believe the answer to that question is yes. Absolutely. He is trying to tell us something! In fact, He is trying to tell us many things:

  1. Everything is broken.  When sin entered creation through the willful decision of Adam and Eve, nothing escaped its effects. We often forget this. Original sin did not only influence humans. Everything in creation was affected; including nature itself. We should not presume a natural disaster is a punishment from God, just as we should not presume cancer is a punishment from God. Both are tragic implications of the fall of man. Not only that, but also we have an adversary who uses everything possible to “… steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10b).
  2. We need a Savior.  We need a Savior for eternity, and we need a Savior for now. The psalmist reminds us, “Do not abandon me, O Lord; O my God, do not be far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation” (Ps. 38:21-22). In the United States, it is often easy to live our lives as if we do not depend on God. We can forget how fragile our lives really are. Hurricane Harvey reminded all of us of our powerlessness. People responded in an outpouring of prayer. The tragedy took our attention off bitter arguments to focus instead on caring for others, and on our need for God. CONTINUE