God's Role In the Haiti Disaster

In light of this week's devastating earthquake in Haiti, many have offered up explanations as far as God's role in the disaster.  Pat Robertson claims it was because the Haitians made a pact with the devil and kicked the French out in Colonial times.  Pooja Bhatia, in the New York Times wrote that a God who hides is better than nothing.  Some believe the earthquake was a product of chance; some believe God, or the devil caused it.

The fact is that I don't know what was going on in heaven in the hours before the quake.  The book of Job lets us in on God's sovereignty over bad times.  In Job's case God allowed Satan to take everything Job had and loved. 

Death isn't something that belongs to Haiti.  Yes, this week death struck hardest there, but every human being will one day fall to death.  It is unavoidable.  Romans 5:12 tells us that "death came to all men, because all sinned."  We will all die, because we have rebelled against God.

We have tried to put God in a box.  We over emphasize his love for all people or his justice and hatred of sin.  But God cannot be understood, and he will not be held down by our theories.

So as politically insensitive as this sounds, the destruction in Haiti was directly or indirectly the work of God.  He allowed it to happen.  It was part of his sovereign will, just as everyone will one day die.  It is our punishment for sin.  Because God is just, and we are sinners, we must die.

God is a God of justice, but he is also a God of Love.  Romans 6:23 tells us that the payment for sin is death, but God gives the gift of eternal life.  Just as God has every right to punish sin, he has every right to forgive it.  And forgive it he will.

So through every bad time we go through, whether it's a Katrina, or a 9-11, or a tsunami, we know there is a God who will punish sin, but who will also give us eternal life if we repent and turn to him.  (Romans 10:9)