HOLY WEATHER REPORT?

One thing I’m very sick and tired of is hearing from wacko Christian televangelists that this hurricane or that earthquake is God’s judgment against us for homosexuality, or abortion, or liberal politics.

Not only is this kind of claim not based on any sort of Scripture, the logical conclusions drawn from such statements are preposterous.

For example, does this mean that we can control the weather by being more or less Holy? Could we eventually eliminate hurricanes and earthquakes by our increased righteousness? Is that something that Jesus even hints at?

I also have to wonder, why doesn’t God throw a hurricane around for our sins of apathy towards the poor like He did to Sodom? Why doesn’t God smack Vegas with an earthquake for their sins of greed and prostitution? Why doesn’t God rain down fire from heaven on all of us for drunkenness, idolatry, pride, selfishness, adultery, and lies? Those sins are pretty awful, aren’t they?

Frankly, God seems to be much more bent out of shape about how we treat the poor than He is about anything else we do, or don’t do. [See Ezekiel 16:49-50; Matt. 25:41-46]

Yes, God can send judgment against whomever He wants, in any way that He wants. But, I don’t believe that these televangelists who pretend to speak for God are doing it right. See, the way it usually works is that God will speak to the prophet in advance of the judgment. Then He will proclaim what that judgment will look like, and He will provide a window of opportunity for repentance before sending that judgment against the people.

These American prophets are doing it bass-ackwards. They wait for the news to tell them what’s coming and then they point the blame on the group of sinners that they happen to like the least. That’s not how God works.

So, I don’t think we need to start worrying about how the sins of others might be affecting the weather or the tectonic plates. What we do need to be concerned with, as followers of Christ, is our own attitudes about our own sin. See, God says that the healing of our land is based on the repentant hearts of those “who are called by (His) Name”, not the filthy sinners downtown.

 

God says that, if the ones who love Him will humble themselves and seek His face, and turn from their own wicked ways, that then, and only then, will He turn and hear their prayers, and forgive their sins (not the sins of the heathen), and heal their land. [see 2 Chronicles 7:14]

The televangelists who love to point the finger and blame these disasters on others need to crack open their Bibles and start doing what it says. Otherwise, they might need to stock up on bottled water and canned food pretty soon.

We might need to do the same.

 And, whatever you, please remember to pray for those dear people caught in the path of Hurricane Sandy this week.

 

Our opportunity to shine as the Body of Christ with the compassion and love of Jesus is never more evident than in seasons like this.

 

 

-kg