Warnings

As a retired clergyman warnings strike me in various ways. For instance, when tragedy strikes, some ask where God was, why didn't He intervene? If He cares, why doesn't He show it? If He allows evil, why? Our main source of divine knowledge comes from the Holy Book, not from our intellect, intuition or imagination. Even so, it is a relevant question and is asked both by Believers and unbelievers: Where is He when we need Him?

I personally don't have the answer. God is more than human but not inhumane. The Deity, God, Supernatural Being is misunderstood by many. Even those with doubts at time rely on rational thinking. So, for the moment, lets think of Him as a Supernatural Being, all-knowing, all-powerful, existing everywhere at one time. So where is He when we want Him, need Him, need an explanation of how, why, when, where, who?

Lets go to the Bible for some help. I don't know how many times I have been asked when a hurricane hits, a mass shooting takes innocent life, a forest fire devastates beyond belief, a needless, senseless auto fatal accident occurs, or a heart attack strikes or cancer ravages a child or a loved one prematurely. Why? Tough questions. Age old question, really.

Adam and Eve were warned not to partake of the special tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden. When all civilization became utterly depraved, God destroyed it by a flood. When the leaders wanted to build a high tower to unite the people to become all-powerful, God mixed up their single language into many. When the Israelites dishonored Him, God allowed the Egyptians to subjugate them for 40 years before letting them go free.

The Old Testament is full of warnings and their consequences. Ten of the Twelve Tribes who abandoned their faith were assimilated or destroyed. The remaining two merged and still exist (Judah / Benjamin). The Good Book ends with Jesus admonishing His disciples to remain faithful and the final warning appears over and over in the both Testaments.

Today, with two major Hurricanes wreaking unbelievable damage to those in the our Southern lands, wildfires raging in the West, a brutal earthquake in Mexico, ruthless threats from a rogue nation and insidious, unbelievable cyberheists all at the same time in our country, and now the shooting in Las Vegas, dare we ask: is this natural or a divine warning?

Has Mother Nature and human incivility gone berserk or could it be a Divine warning via nature and inhumanity? Is there a better place for the answers than the Bible? (For additional insights, see "Where to Find Help When You Are..." or "What the Bible Says About..." - both provide links to passages in the Bible that address a number of the listed topics.)