And Nature Speaks

“We used to call this sportsman's paradise," said a Louisiana native. "But sometimes Mother Nature will come back and remind us that it has power over the land. That's what this storm did."

I had to pause while reading the news on the aftermath of the two lady hurricanes that hit Texas and Louisiana. The words seem to jump out of the computer screen.

I can almost feel the profound emotion, the loss. But only someone who has witnessed that terrible devastation can truly relate.

"All we can do is hang on".

"We've taken quite a beating."

I read story after story and viewed hundreds of pictures of properties destroyed by Katrina and Rita. But the words from that Louisiana native rang in my head.

I continue to read:

Long before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, governments and engineers with lively imaginations have come up with some strange ideas for how to combat nature's wrath, including drawing up plans to seed clouds, spill oil, set up windmills and even drop atomic bombs to soften the blow of lethal storms (AFP/NOAA/File)

Man, no matter how brilliant, can never outsmart the hand of God. There are people who seriously believe they can maneuver their way out of a natural phenomenon. They think they can 'jump the gun' on God. Calamities like these remind me of my humanity, of how defenseless man can be when nature lashes out her fury.

A passage from Isaiah 40 comes to mind:

Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

We can never fully understand why disasters happen. It is difficult to make sense of such events especially in the minds of those who seem to be near death’s door. How painful it is to those who are literally picking up the pieces of their broken lives. How seemingly hopeless and desperate to see your places of security in a pile of rubble.

I always remember someone telling me: Everything we go through always passes through the loving hand of the Sovereign Creator. This too, shall come to pass.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

In the face of disaster, we come to terms with our humanity. We remember our own mortality and helplessness. We remember compassion. We remember hope. We remember to pause. And pray. The most human thing to do, is pray.