DISASTERS: A MEGAPHONE OF GOD?
www.olivetreeviews.org

Chaos hit my neck of the woods May 25. A killer tornado wiped out a part of the St. Paul suburb of Hugo, Minnesota, killing one and injuring many.  When it's up close and personal, the heartache is great and there are always legions of people asking "Why?" Did God cause this? He surely allowed it. Or is it just this sinful, fallen planet where tragedy abounds daily? Clearly, 2008 is the "year of the tornado" with new records being set weekly.
 
God is in charge of nature and nature seems out of control. Keep your TV off if it bothers you as cameras span tornadoes, earthquakes, cyclones, hurricanes, fires, and more. The Bible says that the earth is cursed by sin and all creation groans (Romans 8:20-22). It groans to be liberated! A news agency sent out an article headlined, "Who's to blame for weather?" and the answer is no one.
 
Al Gore wanted to blame the Burma cyclone on global warming but meteorological experts say that it was due to poor people living in a low delta region. Storms follow tracks, not global warming.
 
New terms are popping up such as "donor fatigue" and "disaster fatigue." They occur when disasters become uncontrollable and overwhelming. People stop donating and even stop watching. The most sympathetic can turn away with hearts growing cold rather than warm. In the case of Burma and China, donors also wonder how many of their donor dollars will even get through to victims. "Faraway disasters" generate fewer American dollars than disasters within the U.S. such as Hurricane Katrina.
 
In a sentence, one disaster can be galvanizing and several in a row can be paralyzing.
 
Disasters are a megaphone from God reminding us of lessons the world should take note of including the brevity of life. Not one person in Hugo woke up Sunday morning, May 25, expecting to die at 5:30 PM when the funnel-cloud leveled their home. Life can end abruptly. 
 
Eternity never ends and that should be our focus and our hope. Jesus said about the calamities that befell some in His day, "Unless you repent, you shall likewise all perish" (Luke 13:3).

I believe God is trying to get the world's attention. When we are more preoccupied with "American Idol" and other pastimes that rule Him out, He is trying to send a message. Is the Ark door about to close? And is anyone paying attention or even listening?

On this earth, suffering will either be your master or your servant, depending on how you handle the crises of life. A crisis doesn't make a person -- it reveals what a person is made of. 

As Spurgeon said, "I owe more to the fire, hammer, and chisel than to anything else in my Lord's worskshop." And though the world is filled with suffering, it is also filled with people overcoming it.

So we are in fearful and perilous times. As I say in my book Waiting for a Miracle, "Fear motivates Satan the way faith motivates God."

If you have not repented of your sins and named Jesus Lord of your life, I encourage you to do so today. Who knows what tragedy could befall you today or tomorrow? As a matter of fact, tomorrow may be too late.  Do it now. If you do, you have an eternity waiting for you with no tears, no sorrow, and no sighing. I recommend Randy Alcorn's book simply titled Heaven for the full picture of what is ahead for believers. Get it in any Christian bookstore.
 
Eternity is a long time. Spend it in the right place.
 
RADIO ARCHIVES: Please note that I have posted Dr. David Reagan's second message from "Understanding the Times 2007" at that link. The message is titled, "Fifty Reasons Why We Are in the Last Days."
 
Radio guests this weekend include Joel Richardson, co-author of the book Why We Left Jihad: Former Muslims Speak Out, Kenneth Timmerman on Iran's nukes, and Dr. Jim Hutchins from "The Jerusalem Connection" on the candidates and Israel.  If we're not in your hometown, all programming is posted to our "Radio Archives" by late Monday. For podcasting information, check this link. For outlets and satellite information, check here.   We air live out of Minneapolis/St. Paul on AM980 KKMS, Saturday, 9 to 11 AM CDT. You can "listen live" at www.kkms.com. They replay the program Sunday, 12 to 2 PM. We are simulcast with AM820 KGNW, Seattle/Tacoma, Saturday, 7 to 9 AM.