An Act of God

There was a time when insurance forms and legal documents would refer to catastrophic events like hurricanes, tornadoes and floods as, "Acts of God". I'm not sure if they do this anymore. When we as a country acknowledged these events as Acts of God it inferred a sense of accountability to Holy God. Today, Americas neo-pantheistic culture could not even think of a pantheistic god as unleashing his fury upon "innocent" people. God is a God of love, right? Love is sometimes best expressed at the end of a paddle. And I'm not talking about the kind of paddle that rows a boat. The book of Hebrews tells us that God chastises those whom He loves.

For the Christian who may die during an "Act of God" it means they are now present with the Lord. For the unregenerate to die during an Act of God we can only interpret this to mean the wrath of God has been brought to bear upon this person. Like the death of a loved one, its during times of massive destruction and loss of material goods that we are forced to reflect upon spiritual things or those things of eternal value. The Act of God is an act of mercy. A blessing in disguise. Is there anything that God does that is not right? Is there any "Act of God" that is not pure but has for its end our eternal good?

The greatest things, the most noble things that we may experience or achieve almost always involve pain. Childbirth is the most perfect example of this most joyous event involving tremendous pain, not just for the mother but for the infant who fights and squirms his way to ultimately come screaming into the world. Jesus said that unless a corn of wheat, a seed, fall into the ground and die it cannot bring forth fruit. If you want to grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord Jesus Christ it will often involve very painful things in this life. For this reason we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. We must set our affections on things above and not on things of this earth. The painful things we experience on this mortal coil are temporary. The joy of the Lord is eternal.

Too many Christians live their lives focused on what brings them pleasure or comfort. Pension plans and retirement funds take more of their energy than communion with Christ in the prayer closet. Your pleasures and pensions could be literally gone overnight. I've seen it happen to people. Then what do you have? Its all temporal my friends. Look to Jesus. If you don't enjoy bowing before Him in love and adoration now what will you do in heaven? The next time an "Act of God" may come your way embrace it. He is wanting your attention. He deserves and delights in all the attention we can give Him.