Where was God when.....

Hattiesburg Tornado

Sunday a tornado ripped through Hattiesburg, Mississippi and the surrounding area. As is typical in this technological age, almost immediately a facebook group for info and support popped up. At the end of tuesday, the facebook group posted a video of the University of Southern Mississippi's Wind Symphony playing Amazing Grace. USM's music program is world renown and is one of the top music programs in all of the United States. The music program lost 2 of their 3 buildings in the storm and the 3rd has major damage to it. It was a great gesture to acknowledge the importance of the music department and acknowledge the grace of God that despite over 1,400 homes being damaged or destroyed and over 100 people being injured there were no deaths. An individual began commenting on the post about where was God's grace for all the people who wanted to keep their home and not have it destroyed by the tornado? What do we do with that? How does one respond? Here is how I respond when asked that question. God created the heavens and earth and every thing on it. God continues to create every day and in every way. Natural Disasters are simply a part of the environment and ecosystem that God has created. God does not "cause" natural disasters. Contrary to the teachings and musings of the folks on the 700 club God does not send tornados and hurricanes down on us to "punish us" for our sin. They are simply a result of the ecosystems in which we live. However God's grace is always present. Those who worship Christ worship the great redeemer. A God who emphasizes new creation who takes the broken, beaten, and damned and redeems them. A God that brings beauty from the ashes. God is not the reason people lost their homes. God is not responsible for the evil and disaster of the world, but God's grace and providence is the reason that there are zero deaths from an EF4 tornado ripping through the 3rd largest city in Mississippi and it's suburbs. I'm reminded of how Rev. Adam Hamilton addressed a similar question when returning from earthquake relief in Haiti. "If you remove God from the earthquake in Haiti, the earthquake still happens. It's a part of nature, but you've removed the only source of comfort some people may find in the midst of such a terrible disaster" Grace is in the midst of disaster. There will always be cynics, agnostics, and atheists who decry God as evil for not protecting people from disasters like this. We as Christians must respond and articulate good theology of Christ who has and is redeeming despite destruction.Where was God when a tornado ripped through Hattiesburg? In our midst, wrapping his arms around those he calls his beloved and protecting them.