Hurricanes, Diseases, and Wars: Oh, My! or Praise Be to God?

In January I posted an article on God’s sovereignty in the Southeast Asian Tsunami. My conclusion was simple: God was and is in control of the tsunami and its aftermath, and yet, despite our flawed thinking and feelings, God is merciful, good, and loving. To this I received mostly negative feedback, even though my article pointed out that what I was saying is completely biblical.

Today as I met together with the saints at Clifton Baptist to worship God, Dr. Bruce Ware preached a message in place of Pastor Tom Schreiner. Ware, one of the major opponents of Open Theism and longtime proponent of God’s sovereign reign over the universe, preached a sermon from Isaiah 44:24-45:7. His message was quite timely, both in that it is an appropriate message and reminder to all, no matter what circumstances they are facing, and in light of a recent tragedy which occurred to some of his friends, which he detailed in the sermon (to hear the message, go to http://cliftonbaptist.worshiporganizer.com/index.php?sermons=1).

Considering what has been occurring in recent news, our understanding of God’s sovereignty has become crucial. As Hurricanes Dennis and now Emily pound the Caribbean and Yucatan, killing many unfortunate people who are either trapped in the storms’ paths, or who have attempted to weather-out the storms, and left hundreds homeless—according to Fox News, “National Hurricane Center in Miami, said it [Emily] was the strongest storm to form this early in the Atlantic season since record-keeping began in 1860,” in an extremely stormy season already—as war continues in Iraq with many innocent people dying, many US and coalition troops dying at the hands of revolutionaries, and Britain’s transportation system being attacked by terrorists, God’s sovereignty comes under question by many—some of who claim to be defending God. There is also an issue which I hit me a little closer to home. I learned from a friend that some people on a Campus Crusade summer project have been experiencing great distresses. On one project, people have involved in serious automobile accidents and one person had a disease which, had it been treated early, would have been cured without any issue, but since it was not treated early, the young man experiencing the disease had to be operated on, he almost died, and now is undergoing much painful treatment and will have weeks of difficult recovery. What has this man done to deserve this? After all, this young man was out serving God—he is one of God’s children.

In light of this, we must turn to our only reliable source—Scripture. Dr. Ware chose a text that is quite appropriate in dealing with these issues. Isaiah 44:24-45:7 says,

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself and spreading out the earth all alone, causing the omens of boasters to fail, making fools out of diviners, causing wise men to draw back and turning their knowledge into foolishness, confirming the word of His servant and performing the purpose of His messengers. It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’ And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’ And I will raise up her ruins again. It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’ And I will make your rivers dry. It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.’ And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’”

Thus says the Lord to Cyrus His anointed, whom I have taken by the right hand, to subdue nations before him and to loose the loins of kings; to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: “I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places, so that you may know that is it I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. For the sake of Jacob My servant, and Israel My chosen one, I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor though you have not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.”

In Isaiah, God makes promises to Israel—though we can put those who are God’s children, that is, the Church, in their place. His promises to them, however, are far off. Isaiah is writing in approximately 740 BC, while we know that Cyrus did not bring this to pass until 538 BC. Judah had to be destroyed—which Isaiah was predicting, seeing as he was predicting the rebuilding of the Temple and the cities of Judah. Then, and only then, could this prophecy come about.

Notice in this passage that God is making clear that He is in control of Nature and the Nations, as Dr. Ware pointed out in his message (vv. 24-27). God is the Creator and Sustainer of all. He is in control of Jerusalem and its habitation (v. 26). He is sovereign over all, including the seas and the rivers. This control over nature extends to God’s control over hurricanes and diseases. God controls the natural forces, according to Scripture. If He does not, then we live in a vacuum of fatalistic cause and effect, and we are at the whim of impersonal forces. No Christian should ever adopt such a view. Rather, this is a naturalistic worldview. If God is not today controlling the forces of nature (germs, solar flares, tectonic activities, and tropical winds included), then neither did He stop the storm on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35-41). If God was in absolute control when He walked the earth, then certainly He is in control now (cf. Hebrews 13:8).

God is also in control of the nations. God raises up nations and He brings them to naught (i.e. Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, Greece, Rome, etc). God is control even of what they do and purpose to do. If God is not in control, including of the war on terrorism in which we are currently entangled, then we are at the whim of evil men, demons, and Satan himself. Either these evil men, demons, and the devil answer completely to God’s desires and are only following God’s foreordained will, or else they are in control. The Bible is clear—YHWH is in control, and no other. He is God, and besides Him, there is no God (45:5).

We see that God was in control of the events that led to the birth of a pagan king (Cyrus didn’t know the God of Israel—cf. 3-5—and God even controlled the naming of this man), He was in control of his rise to power, and He was in control of Cyrus’s heart, as Cyrus sent the exiles back and even supported them. He was God’s “anointed” (v.1) even though he did not believe in the God of Israel. Cyrus obeyed the every desire of the Lord (v. 28). God even controls unbelievers. They only do that which He allows them to do and which He has ordained to happen. God is even in control of what the Iraqi insurgents do. This does not mean that what they do is not sin. God is not pleased by their actions, since their actions are in opposition to God’s revealed will. Rather, their brutality will be judged on the day that God judges the earth (cf. Romans 2:12-16).

God does all of this for His glory (v. 6). The pain, death, and destruction that take place are part of God’s refining fire for His children (cf. Romans 8:28-39). The evil that takes place is not gratuitous, as some claim. Rather, it is for the purification of God’s people. God makes this clear to the Israelites, as Dr. Ware pointed out, in v. 24 when He tells them that He is their Redeemer, the one who formed them from the womb. God’s promise is to His people. The evil that takes place are means to bringing about His purposes. If you ask, “Why doesn’t He use other means,” I must reply, “Who are you to question the infallible wisdom of God? Humble yourself, or be abased!” (And that is exactly what God is saying that He is doing, in v. 25. His ways are contrary to the wisdom of humans, and yet His ways show them to be fools (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:18ff).

Notice with me the end of verse 6 into verse 7: “I am the LORD, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.” Dr. Ware calls texts like this “spectrum texts.” In other words, texts that span the whole spectrum of what occurs in reality. Here we see that God forms both light and darkness. While Satan may be the prince of darkness, ultimately He is a tool. God is in control. God is also in control of well-being (‘shalom’—peace, as Dr. Ware clarified the Hebrew) and calamity (‘ra,’ which can also be translated as ‘evil’). God controls the good that occurs to us—such as the receiving of new cars, spouses, peace, good grades, and jobs, and yet He is also in control of the bad we receive, such as deaths, auto accidents, tornadoes, floods, cancer, etc. As Dr. Ware pointed out, two similar spectrum texts include Deuteronomy 32:39, and 1 Samuel 2:6-7. In these texts, it is made clear that God brings both life and death, wounding and healing, the making rich and the making poor, the exalting and the lowering. God is sovereign over all. This is the same thing that Job proclaimed in Job 1-2.

As Dr. Ware mentioned, Nebuchadnezzar came to the realization of God’s sovereignty and goodness in Daniel 4:34-35. After being debased by God for his pride, Nebuchadnezzar said he “raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have you done?’” I need to make no comments on this passage, for it cannot be clearer. God does everything and anything He desires, and all that takes place in heaven and earth is in accord with what He is ordained to occur (though sin contradicts His revealed purpose).

Now, as I briefly mentioned concerning Nebuchadnezzar in the preceding paragraph, God’s sovereign rule over all that occurs, both good and evil, and that God is wholly good, must be held simultaneously as true. God is Himself good, and He is in no way evil, though He controls both good and evil. 1 John 1:5 tells us, “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (italics mine). Though God forms both light and darkness, God is light, not darkness (also cf. John 3:19-21). Though God controls both peace (shalom) and calamity/evil (ra), God is “not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil [“ra” according to Dr. Ware, as I have not yet studied Hebrew] dwells in You” (Psalm 5:4). As Moses announced just prior to his death, “all His [YHWH’s] ways are just; [He is] a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He” (Deuteronomy 32:4). Though this is difficult for us to accept and to understand (though, not completely impossible), as Dr. Ware made clear, we must bow before God’s Word, submit to it, and accept His revelation concerning Himself.

As God’s people, that is, we who are members of His Church, we can trust that God will do only good for us. Though this good may require discipline (cf. Hebrews 12:4-13), include tribulations (cf. Romans 5:1-5, 8:31-39, James 1:2-4), and hold many other hardships that are to make us fit for the glory ahead (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:16-17, 1 Peter 5:1), we must continue to trust that all that God does for His people is governed by His love for us and His purposes of sanctifying us; we can trust that all that befalls us is from the hand of the Good Physician who knows our every weakness and ailment, who is our Heavenly Father who holds us in His hand. We can rest with confidence in God’s love, His power, and His wisdom (all of which are good and infinite) when grief comes rather than blaming Him and cursing Him for the evil that His hand controls.

If you are not trusting in Jesus Christ and His redemptive work alone for salvation and you are reading this, recognize that you are unreconciled to the holy God of this universe. You are an enemy of God and He holds your life in His hands. His judgment is just and it is certain. He could take your life at any moment, and He would be completely justified in doing so. You have transgressed His holy Law and you hate Him. Turn from your evil ways and trust in Christ. Let Him be your righteousness before the judgment throne of God. Only if you will be reconciled to God through Christ can you trust God to be working all things together for your God (cf. Romans 8:28).

If you find yourself disagreeing with my assessment, feel free to tell me why. But I also urge you to accept the biblical position and submit yourself to the whole counsel of God, not just bits and pieces of it. I also highly suggest that you read some books on this issue: God’s Lesser Glory, and God’s Greater Glory, both by Bruce Ware, or Beyond the Bounds, by John Piper and other authors. This is a more serious issue than many want to accept. The rejection of God’s sovereign ordination in all things is nothing short of faith destroying. The very thing that the openness view of God seeks to bolster it actual corrodes. The biblical God is ousted for a nearly deistic God who just looks on as His creation destroys itself. The lack of sovereignty is quite clearly theistic deism.

While it can be an easy thing to accept God’s sovereignty mentally, it is a far greater task to accept it whole-heartedly, and so no matter who you are, recognize that this is a lifelong process of sanctification in which God is restored to His proper position of God upon the throne of our hearts, minds, wills, and characters.