Double whammy

Twice in less than a year, the fragility of human structures and civilisation has been exposed.  First there was the tsunami on Boxing Day 2004 and then, more recently, we have witnessed the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

In both of these events we have witnessed the devastation of whole communities and even cities.  Houses and buildings which have stood for years have been swept away by the power of water.  Those utilities upon which modern living depends - electricity, gas, mobile phones, roads, water processing plants - were all brought to nothing.

Here, in a terrible and dramatic way, many were literally forced back to basics amid the chaos, the deaths and the heartbreak.  Our prayers have been with those who have suffered so terribly and for whom that suffering will last long into the future as they struggle to rebuild their lives.

For many, such events serve to give ammunition to their belief that God does not exist; that God would not allow such events and suffering upon his people.

There needs to be someone to blame, so let's blame God.

Why do we blame God?  Perhaps it is because we are afraid to face up to the fragility of humanity and our own puniness in the face of the powers of creation.

When God created the world, including its weather systems that create hurricanes and shifting continental plates that cause earthquakes, it was good.

Disaster struck when humanity believed that we could control the effect of the oceans and the weather by building levees and dams.  Disaster struck when we trusted in our own power and ingenuity to build cities below sea level and place holiday resorts in volatile areas.

When we succumbed to the arrogance of our own self-belief, death and destruction has followed.  We see again that we - either as whole societies or as individuals - cannot tame the power of God in his universe.

Psalm 29: 30-31 reminds us that 'The Lord rules over the deep waters; he rules as king for ever. The Lord gives strength to his people and blesses them with peace'.

Perhaps we get this mixed up and think that we rule when, in fact, we cannot.

Our peace comes only through the gift of strength that God gives us as we live within his rule as a global community and as individuals.

by Graham Clarke.