Thoughts on Japan

I wish I had written something about this already a few years ago.But I've certainly thought about it several times over the years. Nearly every time something "catastrophic" happens. Even the flood that affected me and my family here in the Marikina in September of 2009.

Does God "cause" disasters like this? ... I don't know about that; could be. Maybe some yes, maybe some no, maybe God has put certain parts of His creation in motion in such a way where he is capable of interceding but has chosen to do so long ago at specific periods in history. These last two sentences are full of theories that I'm not even willing to spend much time on because they are the most important part of "the story". God 'could' certainly cause a calamity like this; and he certainly has at times in the past. There is no reason to believe that he wouldn't cause this one. I do know that one of God's 'big' goals is that we would all come to Him, that we would all come to know him, that we would all cry out to God for the only life that is important; the one that reaches beyond this temporary life and into eternity.

I will never forget the example that a Pastor in Atlanta GA gave me a few years ago. He spoke about his son when his son was very young; like four years old'ish. He reminded those of us that have been parents of children that are that age have all (most of us) had the experience where our son/daughter comes running to us with this tiny scratch or boo boo. Our child is running to us, crying, sniffing, apparently having such a traumatic time with this. We as parents are concerned at our child's reaction but take a quick look at the "boo boo" and immediately know that it is really nothing. We know this because we have been there, we've seen these things before, we are much older and wiser than our children.

So are God's ways higher than our ways, and God's thoughts above our thoughts. Life and death are in the palms of his hands. What is traumatic to us is a part of an eternal plan that we can not fully grasp. At most God might allow some to only know in part but none of us will know in full. When we hold on dearly to the eighty, ninety, or a hundred years that we call life; God says 'that' is not life. Let me lead you to the eternal life in the mansion I have prepared for you. Of course Isaiah 55:8-9 would be a good verse to reflect on here.