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Hurricane Katrina: An Act of God?
By Irving M. Blatt, MD
Was Hurricane Katrina the act of a loving God?
Why does God allow innocent victims to suffer?
The Triune Majesty God, speaking through the lips of Isaiah the Prophet (Isaiah 45:5-7) declares:
"I am the Lord and there is no other,"
"There is no god besides me."
"I form the light and create darkness".
"I make peace and create evil".
"I the Lord do all these things".
Now wait a minute! God creates evil, our loving God?
Evil in the Hebrew language is "rah". The Hebrew word for sin is "chate".
"Rah" is translated 430 times in the Bible as evil, not sin.
God has decreed that evil, meaning : adversity, calamity, grief, sorrow, trouble, distress, bad, affliction, misery, hurt, noxious and wretchedness will come as a result of sinful man. And if man sins and reaps of it; then the responsibility for both is his. God made the law and it will always be in force.
"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ called to be an apostle for the Gospel of God" (Romans1:1) explains that: "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness of those who, by their wickedness, suppress the truth" (Romans1:18).
St. Paul continues: "As they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them a reprobate mind to do those things that should not be done. They became filled with...covetousness, malice...deceit, craftiness...slanderers, insolent, haughty, boastful...foolish, rebellious, faithless, heartless, ruthless...yet they not only did them, but even applauded others who practiced them" (Romans1:28-32).
Brothers and sisters: doesn't St. Paul describe a world who left God, rather than the other way around?
If there are those among us who are new to the ways of God, we need a refreshing from the Lord, coming in different forms and for many reasons.
Who will take up the lamentations of the inhabitants of Louisiana? Who will listen? Does your heart yearn for repentance to come to people here? Does that yearning leave an emptiness in your stomach, the hollow of your bosom, that aches like you need to be fed?
Did Jesus Christ come to destroy lives or did He come to save them?
Do you think that the Lord is jumping at the chance to punish his people?
We need God's sorrow restored to us:
"Let the priests and the ministers weep. Let them say: '"Spare your people oh Lord and do not make your heritage a mockery'" (Joel2:17).
--By Irving M. Blatt, MD is a Jewish, Christian, Episcopalian physician from southest Louisiana. He practices medicine (ENT specialist) and attends an Episcopal church in Morgan City. He graduated 1st Class from the School for Ministry, Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana.
