Pandemic, earthquakes, tornadoes, and now murder hornets… what is God trying to tell us?

An age-old question Christians are often challenged with is, “If God is all-powerful and all-loving, how can He inflict bad things on His people?”

This is sometimes countered by saying that God doesn’t cause the bad things, He simply allows them and stands by to comfort and strengthen us. However, one needn’t dip too deeply into the Old Testament to see that sometimes God does indeed send calamities and even plagues to chastise people. Those of us who believe the entirety of Scripture and trust that God is unchanging, yesterday, today, and tomorrow, must concede the possibility that His hand is behind what He allows. This is a little scary, isn’t it?

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Proverbs 9:10 (ESV)

I’ve heard it explained that the word “fear” in the above text really means “respect” and isn’t meant to strike terror into our hearts.

I don’t fully accept that interpretation. When confronted with a being as powerful as the Creator God, a being who not only brought everything into existence, but who has the ability to wipe it all out, terror seems to be an appropriate response in light of our own relative impotence.

It is important not to forget how very superior to us God is.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways…

Isaiah 55:8-9

It’s the height of arrogance to declare that we know what the Almighty has in mind. However, it seems wise to accept that current events, whatever they may be, just might be His way of getting our attention or even of chastising us.

It can do no harm to take stock of our lives to see if we can discern attitudes or behaviors which need to be brought into line with His tenets.

I believe that the Almighty is a loving God and that He can, and will, bring about wonderful blessings from even the worst situations, blessings for our good and His glory.