Natural Disasters & God Talk
July 19, 2015 | Patrick Preheim, Nick Wiens, and Robert Dick
I grew up on a farm in the state of Nebraska. The farm was small by today’s standards and we raised livestock as an additional stream of income. Every so often some disaster would afflict the land. The drought of 1988 converted a potential crop into silage. In a different drought the spider mites spun their webs so extensively throughout the fields that husks and ears were warped. That year we even considered dropping the mite’s arch-nemesis, the lady bug, en-mass as a possible response to the infestation; can you imagine the crop dusters parachuting billions of lady bugs to the rescue?... a beautiful image. More than one year a wicked hail storm quickly reduced a bumper crop into pulp. This was normal for life on the land. It is, in fact, how the book of Joel begins.
Locusts ravage the cereal grains (1. 4). Drought withers the fig trees, apple trees, and all other trees of the field (1.12). Pastures dry up (1.18). Joel suggests the presence of field pests and drought is reason for the religious leadership to hold vigil in sackcloth and the nation to observe a fast (1.13-14). Why?—because this is the Lord’s doing. In some way it is God’s judgement.
Now, on my farm we never drew such straight lines from the plagues we experienced to God's judgement. Maybe we should have. We simply shrugged our shoulders and made the best of tough situations; we excelled at making lemonade from lemons. While this may seem a pragmatic and commendable approach, though, we didn't really struggle with natural disaster theologically. Did the mite infestation arise on account of mono-culture agriculture or pesticides which killed natural predators of the mite? Were the violent storms and droughts magnified by human factors? We either didn’t dare ask these questions or chose not to ask these questions.
This stands in contrast to Joel, other Old Testament literature, and modern day prophets. A StarPhoenix editorial on July 9 had the title of “Wake up and Smell the Smoke”. Prophet Paul Hanley suggested the severity of the forest fires this year is linked to human contributions to climate change.
We may or may not agree with Hanley. The point is, though, that the boreal forest and swathes of the Rockies have been seriously on fire. On the plains the drought currently affects many farmers and ranchers in these parts of Canada. I have an uncle in Alberta who is considering selling part of his herd because there is no pasture left or prospects of finding affordable hay. His story resonates closely with the Friday article in the business section of the StarPhoenix entitled “Lack of rain hits Alberta crops hard” (July 17 (2015), D1). He is not alone in this quandary. How does he make theological sense of the fires and drought? How do we make theological sense of the disasters which hit us and our planet? Joel seemed the perfect book for entry into to this discussion.
With that in mind I asked several farming households for their reflections. I asked them how they and / or their family have made theological sense of drought, frost, or other disasters on the farm. The questions I offered to focus their five minute assignment were the following:
- How does crop failure / natural disasters / locust plagues shape your understandings of God? Or how does your image of God shape the way you understand these events?
- More broadly, are there insights or lessons disasters have taught you?
- Has the faith community done anything particularly helpful or hurtful in these seasons of crop devastation?
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Nick Wiens
The commentary found in Joel isn’t that far off from anything you may here from today’s farmers. As someone who talks with farmers on a daily basis I hear a lot about the doom and gloom on how the crop looks terrible and how there won’t be a harvest this year. While I understand their frustrations that conditions are less than ideal, I can’t help but think that perhaps some of these problems are self-inflicted.
Over the last six to seven years Saskatchewan farmers have had prosperous and in some cases bumper crops. However, what may have seemed like a blessing at the time may have, in turn been a curse. I say this simply because it gave us a false sense of security. As much as I would like to elaborate on how this relates to risk management my brother told me I was becoming too political and should try to become more theological.
So, the theology. As a young farmer how is my relationship with God affected by natural disaster? I am not sure where I heard it, but someone once said that “God never gives you more than he thinks you can handle” The story of Job comes to mind when I hear this saying and as you all know Job had everything that you could want in life and it was all taken away by God. But Job never lost faith. I envy Job and his strong trust in God. That God will provide when he wants to and will take away when required. I am trying to tailor that attitude into my farming operation. This attitude draws me to conclude that perhaps natural disasters such as drought, frost and hail are just a tools God uses to take away what we don’t need.
Now, if I am completely honest I have been very fortunate not to deal directly with the economic repercussions of crop failure. But my parents have and I have noticed how our standard of living has fluctuated over the years. Whether it was having pancakes every single Sunday for lunch or mom having to get a part time job to make ends meets. There were some stressful pencils pushing days they endured. The thing that always impressed me about it was that like Job, this never deterred from their faith and participating in community life.
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Bob Dick
The ancient nation of Israel were the only people who could truly say “We have a prosperity Gospel.” God gave through Moses a strict code which was to govern every aspect of their daily life, their morality, and their worship. If God’s law was obeyed, they would be blessed abundantly, blessings which included receiving rain at the prime time for the crops, bountiful harvests, fertile flocks, spectacular military success against all enemies, and peace in their land. Conversely, if they did not obey God’s law, they would be cursed in those very same endeavours. Both blessing and curse were in the material realm. Israel was chosen by God to be a witness to the nations around them. Prosperity in the land of the people of God was to be a showcase drawing all people near and far to the goodness, the power and the provision of the one True God.
In both the Mosaic law and in the design of the temple, provision was made for the foreigner who desired to seek communion with the one True God. To read the Prayer and Benediction offered by King Solomon at the dedication of the first temple should be to anyone, a heartwarming experience. It would be a great opportunity for any actor seeking a dramatic monologue. In that prayer, the king makes specific petition to God for His mercy to the foreigner who is drawn to the God of Israel.
God redeemed a people, he saved them – he saved them in the material realm – not because they deserved it but because he had a plan and because of a promise made to their ancestor. The directive was given – “I have chosen you, I have redeemed you through mighty deeds. I have given you a code to follow for a successful life, I have given instructions how to worship me and where to worship me. If my instructions are followed faithfully, you will always remember who I am, who you are, where you came from and over time you will understand why you must worship in this way and what wonderful things I have in store for you and for the world. You will come to recognize my love for you and you will learn to love me.”
We are not Israel, we are the church and the two shall never be the same. Although there is ample evidence in the Gospels and Epistles of God’s desire to bless His own with all good things, sometimes including the material, the only blessings that are promised without fail if we have the will to take hold of them, are in the spiritual realm.
In response to Patrick’s first question – Adversity does not shape my understanding of who God is but adversity can reinforce that understanding. My knowledge of who God is comes from His word and in His word I find He is not only love, He is just, He is holy, He is unchanging. Omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence are the hallmarks of His being. By His grace we draw our next breath and our hearts beat yet another time. By His grace, the force attracting electron to nucleus is maintained. He is not remote from His creation. Without His constant presence, time, space, matter and energy would evaporate. If one believes this, as I do, then the logical conclusion is that absolutely everything that happens in the cosmos, whether it is crop failure, cancer or colliding planets, does not happen unless God allows it to happen. In that sense it is His will. Two related questions come to mind – questions which would demand more than my allotted time. The first – “Are all things unfolding according to His design?” I don’t think so. The second question “Are all things unfolding to His expectation?” I would say yes. Yet another question is often asked, “Is this a judgement from God?” That God has judged in the past, is judging today and will judge in the future is for me an accurate statement. He cannot be a just God and do otherwise. There is a spiritual law as powerful as any natural law that applies to both the redeemed and the unredeemed, namely, that what we sow we will reap. Both nations and individuals are subject to this law. For the people of God today, however, to immediately declare every event to be a judgement from God (even though it may be) can most often be counter-productive to our effectiveness in living out and speaking the Gospel.
The second question offered by Patrick – Are there insights or lessons disasters have taught you? I will answer this question from the standpoint of one who has been redeemed by God’s grace. Consequently, I am compelled to look at life, at the world around me, and the events that affect me from a well-defined perspective, and I confess, a perspective that I have often and still do stray from. My wife and family will attest to that fact. For the redeemed of God, home is already in God’s presence – their status in this world is that of a resident alien. Redemption from the penalty for sin has already been accomplished. Redemption from the power of sin is moment by moment becoming a reality. Redemption from the presence of sin, will at some future time be their experience when they step over the barrier between time and eternity. For the redeemed of God everything that is so closely guarded and cherished in this life, our comfort, our security, our wealth, our health, our loved ones and our very physical life which we are hardwired to tenaciously cling, is secondary to our relationship with the Redeemer. His one purpose is to progressively mold us into His image. How and what He chooses to give and to take is His prerogative alone. We may not like it, we may not understand it – we may even rebel for a season, but we always return with renewed hope and assurance to that bond which is our inheritance. And in the knowledge of His providence, we are asked one question – Will you trust Me?
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Patrick
Interestingly, the book of Joel does not name the factors which have provoked God’s wrath and brought on the natural disasters. I looked in all my trusted commentaries for speculation for the reasons why. Everyone agrees that the text provides no straight answer. Hosea addresses spiritual infidelity which leads to national disaster while Amos and Micah outline the consequences of social inequalities. There is no causal linkage in Joel. The link Joel makes, in fact, is that in the face of disaster we are called to prayer, spiritual renewal, and hope in the future.
Sometimes, in turns out, we don’t know the reason why bad stuff is happening to us and our land. Sure, sometimes we do have a good idea why the climate is out of whack. But there other times we are left scratching our heads. There seems no logical explanation for why the kids are acting so rebelliously. There is no easy answer why the large cloud right above me offers no rain or will not stop raining. There is no immediate understanding why cancer, depression, a miscarriage, or accident takes a loved one. Sometimes, in turns out, we don’t know why these things are happening. A comforting word from Joel is that we do not always need to know. When we are in trouble it is enough, sometimes, to simply put on the sackcloth, lament, hold a fast, and trust God will make things right in the future.
And this is how the last chapters of Joel unfold (following the Masoretic / Hebrew text). Joel has an amazing vision of the future: peace is restored, produce appears in abundance, the old and young alike have visions and dream dreams. I was made to think of a Martin Luther King Jr. speech as I read the last section of Joel: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama....little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together” (MLK speech at the Washington Mall, 1963). This was not reality in 1963 and maybe not even 2015. This month, though, we watched black and white politicians come together in the lowering of the Confederate flag. Beyond destroying locust, health crises and systemic blights like racism a new world waits. Prophets often are often able to see that future.
Joel certainly puts before us the brutal images of devastation. When disaster strikes we are counseled to fast, pray, reflect and wait. In this posture we are prepared to receive new visions and make straight that which is broken. 50 days after the greatest imaginable disaster for the disciples, the death of Jesus, the Spirit of God descended upon them. The language used to describe that event was none other than Joel 3.1-2 (M.T.). The change in their lives was as dramatic as the shift between Joel chapter 2 and Joel chapter 3, so they pointed us to Joel. They didn’t know why Jesus had to die—just like the people in the book of Joel are not given any rational for the plagues. That fifty days they prayed, probably fasted, and waited together. When disasters of our world hit may we have that same posture and routine in our lives. May we faithfully fast, pray, reflect, wait, and when anointed speak with tongues of fire. Amen.
