by Scott H. Northrup
Many voices among Christian circles have been declaring in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters, or even 9/11, that "God is judging America." With whatever wisdom and understanding God has given me, I say definitely not - this is not God judging America. God is not sending hurricanes to pronounce His judgment on people, nor did He sponsor terrorist attacks on 9/11. God is, however, sending trucks full of supplies to aid the evacuees of New Orleans. His Spirit is right in the midst of the great outpouring of giving for the relief of the victims of this tragedy. God's wisdom was available in abundance to civic leaders of New Orleans who could have implemented a better levee system, but yet neglected this in the face of certain calamity. God's Spirit was in the hearts of the brave firemen and policemen of New York who lost their lives trying to save as many people as they could in the Trade Towers.
Don't get me wrong. I do believe in the just judgment of God. I do believe that a day of wrath is coming in which God will justly judge the WORLD through Jesus Christ at His return at the end of this age. A day will come when whole NATIONS will be judged by Jesus at the beginning of the Millenium (read Matthew 25). But you and I need to be more concerned that every human soul, including our own, will soon stand before God as INDIVIDUALS and make account for our lives.
A hurricane is not nearly discriminating enough for God. God's judgment is too fair for that. There is no collateral damage in His judgment. There are no innocents swept away simply because they were geographically too close to the guilty. Even when God rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah, He first sent angels to rescue the only righteous people left in those cities. Far be it from God to condemn the righteous with the guilty, Abraham rightly remarked. In the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, Jesus made it clear that the Tares would not be rooted out now. "Leave them be" He said, because some of the Wheat would suffer damage, but Wheat and Tares would be separated at the end of the age.
I do believe that America has slipped further and further into ungodliness in the past few decades. I do believe that we have been and will continue to see this nation reap the consequences of its own moral decay. But the kind of judgment that falls upon us as individuals and nations here in this life is that God simply lets us have OUR own way. After His Spirit patiently strives within us to convict us of sin and to warn us of danger, God eventually lets us have it our way, and we reap the consequences. Psalm 7 declares of the wicked man, "he has dug a pit and hollowed it out, and has fallen into the hole which he made. His mischief will return upon his own head."
God is constantly seeking inroads into people's lives. If through a tragedy people turn to God, He is there waiting. He never misses an opportunity to draw men closer to Himself, whether it be a good or bad event. God is a merciful God, patiently waiting for the harvest, not willing that any perish, but that all come to the knowledge of the truth. His kindness leads men to repentance. He is there waiting for you. And you don't have to wait for a tragedy to seek Him.
@ copyright 2005 by Scott H. Northrup. All rights reserved.