The Providence of God in Natural Disasters.
First ‘providence of God’
needs to be defined. The Doctrine of
Providence is “the Christian understanding of God’s continuing action by which
all creation is preserved, supported, and governed by God’s purposes and plans
for human history and for human lives.” (McKim p. 256).
Our textbook defines
providence in a similar way but expands on it a bit. “Preservation concerns the way that God
continues to sustain creation in its natural integrity; governance concerns the
way God intervenes in the affairs of the world so as to direct history to God’s
desired goal.” (Textbook p.596). So
providence is God’s acting and ongoing involvement in our lives. God did not set up creation and sit back and
watch it go; God is with us and continues to act in the world. This brings us back to the question of does
God allow or cause bad things to happen.
And the bigger question of why would God allow bad things or even evil
to exist in the world. Do God’s actions
have a purpose?
In looking at the Book of
Confessions of the Presbyterian Church, we can define ‘providence’ through
various creeds, confessions, and catechisms. These cover a wide range of time
from the Heidelberg Catechism of 1563 to the Confession of 1967. The Heidelberg Catechism gives a good general
answer to the question: “4.027 27 Q.
What do you understand by the providence of God? A. The almighty and ever present power of
God by which God upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures,
and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean
years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty— all things,
in fact, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand.” (BoC p.38-39). Good and bad are all part of God’s
providence, God’s power, and God’s interaction with the world. There are fruitful years and lean years,
there is health and sickness; if we do not have the bad then how can we
understand the good?
In chapter VI of the 2nd
Helvetic Confession God’s wisdom and might are declared. “5.029 ALL THINGS ARE GOVERNED BY THE
PROVIDENCE OF GOD. We believe that all things in heaven and on earth, and in
all creatures, are preserved and governed by the providence of this wise,
eternal and almighty God.” (BoC p.84). We do not know the mind of God and cannot see
what the plan may be; we must have faith in God’s wisdom. The 2nd Helvetic Confession
continues with “5.031 MEANS NOT TO BE DESPISED. For God, who has appointed to everything its
end, has ordained the beginning and the means by which it reaches its
goal.” (BoC p.85). The Larger Catechism agrees with the ideas in
the 2nd Helvetic Confession when it presents the question “7.128
Q. 18. What are God’s works of providence?
A. God’s works of
providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving, and governing all
his creatures; ordering them, and all their actions, to his own glory.” (BoC
p.227).
In contrast the Confession
of 1967 includes something the other confession do not mention when speaking of
God’s providence –the authority of Jesus.
“9.03 Confessions and declarations are subordinate standards in
the church, subject to the authority of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, as the Scriptures
bear witness to him. No one type of confession is exclusively valid, no one
statement is irreformable. Obedience to Jesus Christ alone identifies the one
universal church and supplies the continuity of its tradition. This obedience
is the ground of the church’s duty and freedom to reform itself in life and
doctrine as new occasions, in God’s providence, may demand.” (BoC p. 287). This passage does not speak directly to God’s
actions in the world, but it does recognize that God’s plan is
ever-changing. Thus new creeds or
confessions or even the church itself is always in a growing/reforming
state. The church should be able to
recognize the way God’s work in the world is active and continuing.
One confession that is
not in the PCUSA’s Book of Confession, however, is closely associated with
Calvin is the Gallican Confession of 1559. (Class handout). Article 8 begins: “We believe that he not
only created all things, but that he governs and directs them, disposing and
ordaining by his sovereign will all that happens in the world”. It also speaks to God’s power and love for
us: “God, who has all things in subjection to him, watches over us with a
Father’s care, so that not a hair of our heads shall fall without his will”.
What does Calvin say
about providence? Calvin notes 3 things
about God’s providence.1) The providence of God refers to the future as well as the past.
2) It governs all things, sometimes by the intervention of means, sometimes without means, sometime in opposition to means.
3) It tends to show God’s care for the whole human race and the Church in particular.
(Whitney p.91).
Creation and providence
are inseparably joined. God is not the
watchmaker who sets things up to run on its own. “Only by faith we understand that the
universe was created by the word of God.
For unless we pass on to his providence- however we may seem both to
comprehend with the mind and to confess with the tongue –we do not yet properly
grasp what it means to say God is Creator.” (Institutes p.197). Being the Creator does not mean creating and
being done, there is more: “he sustains, nourishes, and cares for, everything
he has made, even to the least sparrow.” (Institutes p.197-198).
God’s providence means
there is a plan for how things happen, God acts to achieve a goal. Calvin does not see things happening by
fortune or chance, but by God’s hand. As
Creator of all, God’s providence also governs all. “Because governing heaven and earth by his
providence, he so regulates all things that nothing takes place without his
deliberation.” (Institutes p.200). In
some circumstance we may feel out of control, but there is order underneath
because God is in control. What does God
being in control say about acts of nature?
Calvin believes God’s providence also regulates natural occurrences.
(Institutes p.205). He refers to
scripture for examples: Psalm 107:25 “For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves
of the sea.” The true causes of
events are hidden from us, for who can understand the mind of God? “Since the order, reason, end, and necessity
of those things which happen for the most part lie hidden in God’s purpose, and
are not apprehended by human opinion, those things, which it is certain take
place by God’s will are in a sense fortuitous.” (Institutes p.208). Even in things regarded as fortuitous by man,
God’s providence exercises authority in attaining the end. This also applies to future events. “As all future events are uncertain to us, so
we hold them in suspense, as if they may incline to one side or the other. Yet
in our hearts, it nonetheless remains fixed that nothing will take place that
the Lord has not previously foreseen.” (Institutes p.209).
Throughout the Bible and
especially in the Old Testament we see God’s power in nature. The flood story of Noah and the ark can be
viewed not only as a story of destruction, but a story of renewal; God
re-creating. The Israelites escaped
Egypt by the parting of the Red Sea, but why did God have the sea cover the
Egyptians and not just stop them from crossing.
In the New Testament, the disciples are caught in a storm and filled
with fear. Jesus awakes and calms the
storm and asks the disciples “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40). God’s
providence (in the form of Jesus) was with them, preserving, protecting, and
taking action. If we all only could realize
Jesus is in the boat with us.
The question that
persists is when bad things happen, how do the individuals experiencing a natural
disaster feel and react. Whether it is
hurricane Hugo or Katrina or earthquakes and tidal waves or the recent flooding
in South Carolina, there is always loss, fear, and uncertainty. How can hope be found in these
situations? How can something good be
seen amongst the tragedy? How do we get
to re-creation and renewal from here?
God.
God does not intend
for suffering to happen in a disaster.
God is with us through the disasters and can guide us with hope and
faith onto a new path. God walks with us
through these situations. As Calvin
states certainty about God’s providence helps us in all adversities.
(Institutes p.220). Again Calvin refers
to scripture to support his statement.
Genesis 50:20 “Even
though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to
preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.” Another example is from Job, even in loss,
Job still praises God. Job 1:21b “the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” The lesson in the providence of God is once
again not the self-centered questions of why me or why did God allow this to
happen, it is the reactions we have and the actions we take in the aftermath of
tragedy. And remembering always that God
is in control, even in the chaos, there is hope.
For
an example of God’s providence in natural disasters, there is the story of
Hurricane Katrina. Early
in the morning on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of
the United States. When the storm made landfall, it had a Category 3 rating on
the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale–it brought sustained winds of 100–140 miles
per hour–and stretched some 400 miles across. The storm itself did a great deal
of damage, but its aftermath was catastrophic.[1]
My friend ‘Lisa’
is a born and raised New Orleans girl.
She was there during Katrina, she saw the city she loved devastated;
however she stills lives there today.
Lisa told me her house did not receive a lot of the flooding, yet her
parents’ home did as did her younger sister Marie’s home.
They all evacuated
although Lisa waited to the last minute to do so. She was away from her home for over a month,
her parents could not get back to their home for almost 3 months, and Marie and
her husband and 5 children for close to 6 months. One of the hardest things for Lisa was seeing
the aerial views on the news and knowing that was part of her neighborhood and
not knowing how her house was being affected.
She also mentioned in the aftermath not being able to get in touch with
friends or neighbors, in some cases not knowing if they were even alive. Lisa, like many others had survivors’ guilt,
depression, economic worries (about her job), and suffered nightmares. The city was devastated, full of trash, and
smelled. How could anything be normal
again?
When I asked her
about God and faith, she gave me some wonderful answers.
“It wasn’t FEMA or the government
that made a difference in the aftermath.
It was the church groups that came in to help.”
“Everyone was helping each
other. The city banded together.”
“You realize what really matters.”
“There was no blaming God. Levees broke.
You deal with what comes next.”
Lisa said this
experience made her faith stronger. She
prayed more, praying for protection and praying for others. She saw this in others as well; everyone had the
belief that the city could recover. Now
10 years later she knows there are still areas in need of healing, but much of
the city has been revitalized. Areas
have been rebuilt for the better. The
most surprising to me, and the most faith focused thing Lisa shared with me was
“there was a lot of good that came out of it.”
God’s actions continue in their lives.
From devastation comes hope and renewal.
One of the most
hurtful things for Lisa was hearing the blame being placed on New Orleans
–Katrina as punishment for sins. In
looking through articles about Katrina, everyone seemed to have an opinion on
why it happened. God’s punishment for
sins: Pat Robertson linked Katrina to
legalized abortions.[2] Another religious conservative Hal Lindsey
stated that “the judgement of America has begun.”[3] Why do these and other religious leaders see
natural disasters as divine retribution?
These comments only hurt the people who are already suffering. As I looked through older articles and I
could not find any such blame being put on the people of South Carolina when Hurricane
Hugo came ashore. And no such blame for
the recent flooding in South Carolina.
Going back to the
topic of Katrina, there was good happening in the aftermath of the storm. “The Coast Guard, for
instance, rescued some 34,000 people in New Orleans alone, and many ordinary
citizens commandeered boats, offered food and shelter, and did whatever else
they could to help their neighbors.”[4] And there were positive words being preached
and aid being given. God worked through
many to do good and comfort those in need.
An online article from
the month after Katrina gives further theological perspective on the
event. Religion and Ethics News
Weekly invited the comments of theologians, chaplains, preachers, teachers,
ethicists, religious leaders and others on the dire events on the Gulf Coast
and their meaning for society and nation.[5] Two of these were The Reverend William J.
Byron and The Reverend Sam Wells, Dean of the Duke University Chapel.
The Reverend William J.
Byron: “This hurricane, like the
tsunami of last year, prompts one to wonder how an all- knowing, all powerful,
and loving God could let something like this happen. Some are wondering whether
God is sending a message to the world in the harsh language of disaster. Is God trying to tell us something? Maybe.
God’s message would surely be one of love. Love for the victims, love also for
the rest of us survivors, rescue workers, caregivers, and observers who, in
response to God’s love, can now show ourselves to possess a faith, hope, and
love strong enough to sustain the generosity, resourcefulness, and commitment
needed to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast communities (not to mention
the rebuilding that still remains to be done in South Asia in the wake of the tsunami).
The need will be there for decades to come.” [6] He continues by asking ‘why did God, the
Creator, allow this to happen’. And
answers the only way we as humans can ‘I don’t know’. It is not for us to know the mind of
God. Yet through these experiences we grow. We grow in faith, in community with others,
and in understanding of what is really important in life. The good that can come from the bad may be
evident in “terms of peace, justice, economic development, and love for one
another”.[7]
Excerpts
from a sermon preached on September 4,
2005 by the Reverend Sam Wells does seem to elude to Katrina as punishment for
moving away from being God-centered, allowing poverty, and social injustices. “Let us
remember, when we wonder why God doesn’t do something, that he has already done
something. He has given us good ways to live, and has countless times sought to
persuade us to follow these good ways, whether by rescue or warning or example
or threat. This is what the Old Testament is all about.” But if we move past the ‘why’ it happened,
the Rev. Wells does go on to proclaim the power of the Holy Spirit working in
the aftermath. “And after the
resurrection God sent his Holy Spirit to transform and empower his people, to
turn sorrow into dancing and waste places into springs of joy. And we have seen
the Holy Spirit this week. We have seen ordinary people offer moments of
breathtaking kindness. We have seen
glimpses of remarkable goodness, sacrificial selflessness, disarming
generosity: There is no room on my boat; I shall swim so you can step on board.
There is no more food; you can have mine. You have lost everything; everything
that is mine is yours to share. You have no home; my home is your home. We have
seen the Holy Spirit this week. So, again, let not our ponderings about God’s
goodness or our anxieties about his power blind us to the activity of his
Spirit. God is anguished, but he is alive and he is active.”[8]
This
speaks to God’s continuing action in the aftermath of the storm. The storm did not just happen and then God
leaves the picture saying ‘oh well’. The
good that comes out of the disaster is the true example of God’s providence in
the world. As my friend Lisa said ‘a lot
of good came out of it.’ When we as
individuals are in the midst of tragedy, we cannot know what good may come,
what the bigger picture is, and what direction God will lead. Yet God is there, walking with us, working in
ways of hope, and guiding us to what is next in God’s plan.
As a final though,
I want to pull out an old favorite song from Gordon Lightfoot, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. In the face of bad weather, the ship
sinks. There are a couple lines that
draw my attention to God’s providence.
“Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the
minutes to hours?” The song does not
answer the question; however it eludes to faith being present as a later verse
says “In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed in the Maritime Sailors’
Cathedral the church belled chimed, ‘til it rang 29 times for each man on the
Edmund Fitzgerald”[9]. God’s love stays with us it does not go
anywhere and faith can grow stronger even in despair. One more Biblical
reference Isaiah 43:2: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the
rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be
burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
In
conclusion each disaster or tragedy has its stories. Suffering and death occur. However, what sustains us is faith, God with
us, ‘Jesus in our boat’, and love. Love
and care shown to one another, the people who give aid, and give something up
for another. God’s work continues in the
world.
[1]
History.com (see bibliography)
[2] Media Matters (see bibliography)
[3]Media
Matters (see bibliography)
[4]
History.com (see bibliography)
[5]
Religion and Ethic News Weekly (see bibliography)
[6]
Religion and Ethic News Weekly (see bibliography)
[7]
Religion and Ethic News Weekly (see bibliography)
[8]
Religion and Ethic News Weekly (see bibliography)
[9] The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,
Gordon Lightfoot (1976).
Bibliography
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Louisville, Ky : Office of the General Assembly, c2014.
Calvin, Jean,1509-1564. Institutes of the Christian religion. / Philadelphia, : Westminster Press, [c1960].
McKim, Donald K.,author. The Westminster dictionary of theological terms /
Plantinga, Richard J. An introduction to Christian theology / Cambridge, U.K. ; New York : Cambridge University Press, c2010.
Whitney, Harold J.(Harold James),1906- The teaching of Calvin for today; the substance of the Institutes of the Christian religion, in handy, understandable form. Including a profile of John Calvin. Grand Rapids, Zondervan Pub. House [1959]
Media Matters ‘Religious conservatives claim Katrina was God's omen, punishment for the United States’ September 13, 2005 http://mediamatters.org/research/2005/09/13/religious-conservatives-claim-katrina-was-gods/133804
History.com
