Pastor Angie's In-Spire-ations October 2017



As I write this, Hurricane Irma is turning away from Cuba and beginning her 175 mile journey to the Florida Keys. She is expected to slam into the west coast of Florida in just about twenty hours with storm surges that some are saying are unprecedented. Many of us, Chris and I included, have family members in her path who have chosen to “ride it out” in spite of evacuation orders that plead with people to move to safety.

At the same time, Texas and Louisiana are trying to pick up the literal pieces left behind by Hurricane Harvey. Out west, multiple states are being charred by many rampant wild fires. Earthquakes have hit Mexico. North Korea has caused earthquakes testing nuclear bombs that threaten us from afar.

I can barely watch the news or look at social media and at the same time, I can barely take my eyes off of it as I search for word from those whom we love who sit squarely in the sites of it all. I have heard people blame everything and everyone from Trump to climate change to God. Apocalyptic (end time) messages are running as fast and rampant as the western wildfires.

As a pastor, I have been asked if I think God is doing this because God is so angry with people for turning away. Couldn’t God just stop this if God wanted to? There is not an easy answer, but here goes. No, I don’t believe God caused this and yes, I do believe God could stop it all in an instant. God gave us a tremendous gift and responsibility. The gift is free-will and the responsibility means that when we make poor choices, there will be consequences. When we turn away, God notices. In this gift came the understanding that God would not toy with God’s people by taking back the bit of power God gave to us in the gift of free will. God can intervene and often does when we pray for others. I still believe in miracles, but I had a professor who put it this way, “God is not a cosmic puppeteer.” This could be a very long theological discussion that I won’t try to conquer in my usual 500 words or so. While I don’t know what the outcome will be by the time you read this, I do want to give you hope in the midst of all of these disasters, violence and political loggerheads around our world.

While God doesn’t pull every string, God does promise to be with us in the storms. Scripture reminds us 366 times…DO NOT FEAR. One for every day of the year including a leap! My personal favorite, and one in which I have found comfort and strength for over 30 years, is Isaiah 41:10. “Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be afraid for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you in my righteous right hand.” God doesn’t promise we will never go through storms, but God DOES promise to go through them with us. Let that be your hope and please pray for the people who will be trying to recover from these storms and fires by the time you read this. God is listening.



~ Pastor Angie ~

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