I have often wondered why some insurance companies and news outlets describe tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, floods and wildfires as “Acts of God.” I understand part of their reasoning—that these things are normally beyond human control. But why not label rays of sunshine, singing birds, and colorful rainbows as “Acts of God”? These are beyond our control as well.
If natural disasters are always a major sign of His subliminal involvement in human affairs, God could be blamed for any resulting tragedies. Some might even surmise that our Creator is cruel and unjust. Quite the opposite is true according to the following passage from the Song of Moses:
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He. (Deuteronomy 32:4)
What a double assurance! The same precious truth is declared in both a positive and negative way. Yahweh is a God of “justice” and in Him is no “injustice”! If this is correct, why would our loving Heavenly Father allow natural disasters that cause, not just the wicked, but good people to suffer—sometimes in devastating ways? Isn’t the Creator capable of preventing such things? Skeptics are quick to suggest:
“If God could have prevented this tragedy but didn’t, then He’s not all-loving. If God wanted to prevent it, but couldn’t, then He’s not all-powerful.”
Is our reasoning limited to these two options, or are there more angles to explore? Hopefully, the following points will help us discern every possible explanation.
Does the Wind Have Free Will?
Could it be that God allows evil in this world, and the unpredictable nature of negative and damaging circumstances, as part of an overarching plan to preserve the precious and valuable gift called “free will”? If perfect character and behavior were divinely enforced in humans—if people were hardwired by God to only do good—then love and worship toward Him could never be authentic and heartfelt. Instead, it would be robotically controlled by the very One who then becomes the object of the very love and worship He enforces. There’s no realness in a preplanned relationship construct like that.
Because human beings live on “the earth”—and because the Creator maintains the same mindset in all things—is it possible that this gift of free will overflows into everything else in this realm, including inanimate things? Even forces of nature have apparently been given freedom of expression. Jesus insisted, “The wind blows where it pleases” (John 3:8 NIV). Another translation says, “where it chooses” (WNT). God initially created the wind to fulfill multiple beneficial purposes, then, presumably, He released it to express itself—while still maintaining certain overshadowing constraints.
In a perfect world, this aspect of nature would never move from “pleasant and refreshing” to “fearful and destructive.” But we no longer live in a perfect world. When Adam and Eve transgressed, evidently, the world under their charge fell with them—and dark, death-dealing influences invaded everything, including the processes of nature.
God, at times, has been known to exert divine dominion in areas such as these. Consider, for instance, God answering Elijah’s prayer for rain, Jesus calming the storm on the sea of Galilee, and the earthquakes that happened during the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and when Paul and Silas worshiped in the Philippian jail (1 Kings 18:41-46, Mark 4:39, Matthew 27:54; 28:2, Acts 16:25-31). Nevertheless, the functions of the natural world usually seem to be autonomous and random. So, there is also freedom of expression within the confines of God’s sovereignty. Where do we draw the line? Bluntly and honestly, only God knows.
Are catastrophic events, at times, the result of divine judgment? Yes, of course! Blatant biblical examples include the fiery destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, divinely created hailstones falling on enemy armies, and a tempest at sea endangering a ship transporting a rebellious prophet (Genesis 19:24, Joshua 10:11, Jonah 1:1-4).
Nahum 1:3 asserts unequivocally, “The LORD has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.” Sometimes, “His way” could involve divine retribution for the evil deeds of the wicked. Yet Yahweh having “His way” could also be the positive goal of convicting and converting those who need to be awakened spiritually. God having “His way” in a storm could also indicate times of supernatural protection over His people, just as He did in the land of Goshen during the ten plagues that fell on Egypt. So, this scripture can be interpreted several significant and relevant ways.
There are also three more possible causes to consider:
Satanic involvement—The book of Job traces the unleashing of a violent storm against Job’s children to the devil. However, it must be noted that it was necessary for Satan to obtain God’s permission.
Angelic involvement—One prophecy foretells angels unleashing the destructive power of wind in this world that will harm those who have not received the seal of God in the last days (Revelation 7:1-3).
Human involvement—Manipulation by human beings factors into the equation, too. Recent developments in geoengineering technology, weather control, and directed energy weapons (DEW) have empowered people to enter the ‘natural disaster arena’ with their influence also, which is all too often bent toward an evil and diabolical agenda.
In considering all these points, unfortunately, we must conclude—there are no easy answers.
What About Noah’s flood?
Those who embrace the biblical witness of the early years of this planet would agree that the judgment of God caused the first flood in the days of Noah. But does that mean every flood since that time is divinely authored? Absolutely not! However, it set in motion an expression of nature that often results in similar environmental events. Can the omnipotent God release His power to withstand these forces of nature? Of course, He can! As already referenced, Jesus said, “Peace be still!” and the wind and waves obeyed His voice. But does He always miraculously intervene like that? Inexplicably and unfortunately, no, He doesn’t. However, we can be confident of His covenant promise to Noah, that there will never be another global deluge. Every rainbow renews our faith in that divine pledge. Also, the psalms talk about the installation of a certain invisible “boundary” for the seas:
You who laid the foundations of the earth, so that it should not be moved forever. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At Your rebuke they fled; at the voice of Your thunder they hastened away. They went up over the mountains; they went down into the valleys, to the place which You founded for them. You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, that they may not return to cover the earth. (Psalms 104:5-9)
Once again, where is this “boundary” line? Why isn’t it even more constraining? Within this divine limitation, do the waters have free will, too? I keep asking questions, don’t you?
God Moves Both Subtly and Obviously
An additional perspective can be drawn from the Messiah’s famous Sermon on the Mount. Jesus offered that the heavenly Father feeds “the birds of the air” (Matthew 6:26). Ponder that statement deeply for a moment.
I’m sure you agree that the Creator never directly accomplishes this objective. No one has ever witnessed God’s hand visibly extended from heaven to earth, overflowing with seeds, worms, and insects, and birds by the tens of thousands gathering to that stretched-forth divine appendage to eat. Instead, He creates environments and ecosystems conducive to the production of seeds, worms, and insects, while simultaneously imparting instinctive knowledge to every bird concerning where to forage for food and what to eat for nourishment.
Evidently, His involvement is not obvious, direct, controlled, and observable, but subtle, indirect, random, and invisible. This provides a powerful example of a subliminal divine influence that pervades the universe in multiple ways, both small and great. However, determining the exact mixture of God’s transcendence and His immanence is one of the great mysteries of the cosmos.
Are There Certainties?
So, what conclusions can we reach? Life can be unpredictable. Nature can be unpredictable. If there is a tragedy in nature of disastrous proportions, tracing the exact source is often impossible. Then how should we react during crises?
- Never make blanket assessments unless God’s heart on the matter is known without a doubt.
- If unsure, always lean toward the dual explanation of randomness in nature and faith in God’s goodness and mercy.
- Never allow your heart to become bitter and unbelieving.
- Worship God anyway, just as Job did, even when you do not understand.
- Never charge God foolishly, as Job’s miserable comforters did.
- If a divine judgment is a possibility, approach the Father with humility and repentance, and renew a confession of mutual dependency on Him—both for yourself and for others, just as Daniel did (Daniel 9:1-19).
- Use natural tragedies as a golden opportunity to express Christian compassion.
- Trust the Almighty God to intervene in people’s lives powerfully. As the Scripture encourages—
Trust in the Lord with all your heart. (Proverbs 3:5)
Trust in Him at all times (Psalms 62:8)
Trust in the Lord forever (Isaiah 26:4).
Though there are many uncertainties in this life, two things are certain—we can tenaciously cling to the belief that God is love and that He will lovingly, miraculously, and ultimately take His consecrated people from this unpredictable realm, filled with disappointments, to a perfect and unchanging realm where no crises will ever occur again.
Yes, that will be the ultimate “act of God.”
