There is an inevitability to natural disaster and suffering. No human will live a life free from suffering or unaffected by natural disaster of some sort or another. In these moments, when unforeseen disaster strikes or suffering stings, people cry out, "where are You, Lord?" Needless to say, the sober importance of this significant issue necessitates a sincere examination. The complexity of the issue is weighed upon by our theological bent; however, a good place to start would be theology proper, that is, the nature and character of God.
A simple but necessary assertion: only God is God. There is no other God and God is not accountable to anyone but Himself. He is jealous for our worship and He delights in His own glory (Ex. 20:4-5; Isa. 63:12-14). He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, infinite, holy, just, righteous, sovereign, and good. These are truths that apply only to the Lord. Additionally, the practical implications of His character is that all things and everything is in and under His control, through Him, by Him, and for Him (Col. 1:16-17). Many Christians assert this truth but have trouble applying it when the rubber hits the road.
If all things are under His control, most assuredly this includes calamity and suffering. Scripture confirms that God is the cause of calamity and strife (Isa. 45:7; Amos 3:6). God is glorified and good throughout everything. The complexity of this issue meets with another, namely the righteous judgment due man as a result of sin.
Mankind is wholly depraved as a result of sin. We are born into the sin of Adam. The wages for this sin is God's righteous and just wrath as the due penalty for sin, finally realized in death. Therefore, one of the obvious but neglected handlings of suffering and calamity is that it is God's righteous punishment meted out. This perspective is often met with resistance in the form of an argument, known as "the problem of evil."
In truth, if we take seriously the sovereignty of God and the reality of sin, "why God would let evil happen to good people" is not the appropriate question to ask. Rather, the more accurate question to ask would be, "why would God let good happen to bad people." Remember, "None is righteous, no not one (Rom. 3:9)," and "all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God (Rom. 3:23-24)." Only by the application of grace through faith and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit can any man be measured good. Therefore, calamity and suffering should remind us that no matter the circumstance we receive far better than we truly deserve.
Additionally, the Book of Job has much to say about the causes of calamity and suffering. Two brief points will be made in this regard. Firstly, Job is, by all accounts, a righteous man. He has not done anything so profane or sinned in such a way as to justify the suffering which befalls him. This leads to a second point: Satan is gifted the realm of suffering and calamity by God. More succinctly, although Satan is allowed to destroy Job, God not only oversees Satan's hand, but more profoundly, He commissions Satan's work.
In a real sense, Satan is the dog on God's leash, meaning that he is under God's sovereign control. The implication is that the suffering that befalls Job, though administered by Satan, is known, unstopped and firmly controlled by God. This is not an easy teaching, but we should recognize that God is glorified equally in calamity and calm.
How we handle, then, suffering and calamity is in proportion to how we handle God. If we "let God off the hook," so to speak, we are removing from God the power that is rightfully His. Instead, our theology of calamity and suffering should remember who God is, that He is not accountable to our comfort and/or dignity, but He is accountable to His righteous and holy nature. In the end, all things serve to prompt us to praise Him. Thus, in moments of intense suffering or unforeseen calamity our response should be praise, fear, and awe at the glory of God.
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