Religion: A Pastor Ponders

Water, Water

by Pastor William Jenkins

September 9, 2005

Seeing the devastation wasted upon the land by hurricane Katrina, I am reminded of a few lines from “The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner”:

“Water, water everywhere and all the boards did shrink.

Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.”

We are tempted whenever something of the magnitude of Katrina happens to suspect that God caused it in order to punish the wicked. We do this because we know that God is the most powerful force in the universe and that there is a moral code built into the universe.

The truth is that the wicked are blessed along with the righteous and the righteous suffer along with the wicked. God has less to do with it than we suppose.

God created the natural laws that govern the processes that drive the earth. The earth is a dynamic planet and there is always the risk that someone may get hurt in its dynamic forces. The powers that create the dynamics that drive the earth are far beyond our abilities to control at any level.

To ask, “Why does God allow natural disasters to happen?” is to suggest that the Creator of the earth should suspend vital natural laws. This arbitrary suspension of natural law to protect human life would result in more chaos and a static planet that would eventually become uninhabitable. We would loose our home in this solar system.

The beauty and blessings of this earth are often bought with a terrible price. The wonder of it all is that natural disasters do not happen more often. When they do happen, we ought not immediately suggest that God is angry with us. God is more discriminating when it comes to being angry.

Where is God in all of this? He is in the hearts of compassion that respond in miraculous ways to rescue, comfort and relieve the resulting suffering; in the prayers that rise from the lips of people who add to the resources of food, clothing, shelter and money the powerful resource of faith.

While God does not cause these things to happen, we can believe that He uses them to remind us that all of us on the earth are family and we should not get too attached to our things.

At the end of the day, the mercies of the Almighty are with us still; though earth’s great powers shall work against us, we’ll trust God’s gracious, sovereign will.

League City United Methodist Church is located at 1411 Main Street (FM 518), one block east of Interstate 45. For information, call the church offices at 281-332-1557 or visit the website at

HYPERLINK - http://www.lcumc.org