Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

In the past week, our country has experienced what some are calling the worst natural disaster in the last 100 years, if not in our entire history. The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 and the Galveston hurricane of 1900 caused incredible damage and death; Katrina’s devastation may be worse, it just is too soon to assess the loss of life and property yet. Due to the efforts of news reporters on-site soon after Katrina passed, almost all Americans were able to instantly see the destruction and hear the desperation in the victims’ voices.

After the 9-11-2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, there were many analysts who chose to assign blame for them on the United States itself. Incredible as it may seem, some people said that the US was getting what it deserved because of its imperialism, its support of Israel, and adventurous foreign policy. Even well-known Christian broadcasters seemed to be of the opinion that America had been guilty of offending God with its tolerance of the evils of abortion and homosexuality, and needed this attack as a call to repentance.

In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, many similar theories are being advanced. From the lips of prominent Al-Qaeda leaders we hear that Katrina was Allah’s punishment on the US for its mission in Afghanistan and Iraq. (What would you expect—except that the same leaders were blaming their fellow Muslims in Indonesia for somehow displeasing Allah and bringing upon themselves the tsunami disaster on Christmas 2004). People are distressed at the lack of speed being shown by the rescue teams. And, quite frankly, it is heartbreaking to hear the desperate pleas of those in need of food and water, to be harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. The resulting blame game has been just as distressing, as the “blame Bush for everything” crowd revs up its engines and makes absurd accusations that the administration is responsible for the tragedy because they wouldn’t sign the Kyoto protocols against “global warming” or because they wouldn’t invest money to make the levees safe against a Category 5 storm, or even because they wanted the oil companies to make more money, or that they are racist and don’t care about the African-Americans who are in dire need.

Ever since the days of Job, the pious believer in God’s grace and providence has asked why misfortune, disaster, and evil things befall the righteous. Could God have actually directed this storm at New Orleans because of their rowdy celebrations of Mardi Gras, and the libertine abuse of alcohol and displays of sexuality that accompany that prelude to Lent? Could God have wiped out the communities of Gulfport and Biloxi because of the casinos and the attendant wastefulness of resources, greed, and corruption that go hand in hand with them? And what about the individual Christian who suffers? We all expect to die, but is God being just and fair to take the life of a person who isn’t old and who still has kids at home to raise?

Let’s take a look at a couple of passages from the New Testament. In Luke 13:1-4, we read,

“Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you, too, will perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

All sinful people will die; that is the wages of sin. But the death of these 18 souls should not be seen as evidence that they were somehow more guilty or more deserving of death than any other sinners. Their premature and sudden death serves as a reminder to all sinners of the need to repent, for no one knows the day or the hour that our own summons may come.

In John 9:1-3, we read,

“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.’”

Of course, the man and his parents were sinners, but what Jesus was saying is that you could not attribute his blindness to a specific sin; it was not a logical consequence of any choice of bad behavior. Instead, this was an occasion for the work of God to be displayed in his life. And Jesus proceeded to heal him of his blindness, bringing that glory to God through his Son, Jesus Christ.

What does this have to do with the disaster known as hurricane Katrina? This is an opportunity for the people of God to glorify Him, with a generous outpouring of love and charity, of compassion for our neighbor. Certainly financial donations are the easiest way to accomplish the most good. I might have an old toaster I could give away, but if I give ten dollars it might buy a 30 gallons of bottled water, which is a far greater priority. But many of these families are going to be permanently displaced. They will need some place to live other than in a shelter. The kids need to be in school. The adults need to find meaningful work. There may be an opportunity for Christian churches to sponsor refugees, finding them a place to live, to learn, to earn, and, above all, for God to be glorified in their lives. The response of a Christian to the needs of others is not “Whose fault?” but rather “Where can I help?”

Use the comment sections to share what you have heard about the hurricane relief efforts, either sharing stories of survivors, of heroic efforts, or of opportunities to help.