Job puts it this way:
[God] wraps up the waters in his clouds;
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
By his power he churned up the sea;
by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.
Byhis breath the skies became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.
And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper we hear of him!
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?
Job 26:8, 12-14
The implication of those verses is clear: God is sovereign over weather. Weather happens at his discretion. That includes Katrina, Gustav, and Hannah.
It’s a difficult concept. An inconvenient truth. I’m not always sure what to do with it. We Methodists sometimes shy away from God’s sovereignty, leaving that teaching to our Presbyterian and Calvinist friends. But Scripture is clear. God really is in control whether we believe it or not.
This time, I prayed hard that New Orleans would be spared . . . but what about the towns that were more impacted because the storm moved west? Like Lake Charles, Louisiana, where my brother lives? Or north and east Texas, close to where I grew up?
I don’t have answers to those kinds of questions. And I definitely want to avoid declaring that God sends storms on certain cities as an act of judgment — because that might mean Charlotte is next! I’ll let God speak for himself.
It’s the truth. An inconvenient truth, but the truth nonetheless.