An Act of God?

It seems every time there’s a tornado, a major flood, a hurricane or an earthquake some broadcaster somewhere calls it “an act of God”.  I’ve always heard that term and I’ve always wondered about its use.  It is at such odds with who I know God to be. 

         But then, where do I stand, what do I believe?  Are tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, droughts, floods acts of God? 

             I would say no -- not in the sense most people mean.  I believe, like many insurance companies today, that they are “acts of nature” not “acts of God”.  And yet I know nature to be created by God.  Like Karl Barth, a famous reformed theologian, I think these disasters are what Barth called the “dark or shadow side of creation.”  I believe tornadoes happen when the weather conditions are right but I don’t believe God sits in heaven and plans when and where to send them. 

            God created the world and gave it structure and natural laws, and nature follows those laws without His constant interference, allowing us to live with a great amount of predictability and security.  We know that if we throw a ball up in the air, it’s safe to assume it will come back down.  We know a house will be more stable if we build it on rock than if we build it on sandy beach.

            Can God suspend the laws of nature?  Yes, I believe He can -- God can do anything.  Does He ever suspend them?  Yes.  And when He does it’s called a miracle ---- but miracles are few and far between.  They don’t happen every time we need one, pray for one, long for one.  

            We shouldn’t blame God then when a tornado hits one community and not another, when one child dies and not another.  We shouldn’t blame “an act of God” for every tragedy in life. 

            But I do believe that we see acts of God in the midst of those tragedies.  I believe we see God acting in the teacher who sheltered her students, protecting them from falling debris.  I believe we see acts of God in the hands of volunteers offering coffee and a hot meal.  I believe we see acts of God in first responders and volunteers that will be there months from now still building houses.  I believe we see acts of God in the prayers of His people who strengthen the works of others. I believe that in Moore and Sandy Hook and New Town and Haiti and Malawi and the Congo we see the mighty acts of God. 

            I believe that we see the acts of God not in the pain of our world but in the healing light that breaks into the darkness whatever that darkness might be.