You display your power among the peoples

O LORD, our Lord,
  how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8:9

The heavens declare the glory of God;
  the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  Colossians 1:16-17

Parents, you should not expect or trust the news media to tell your children the truth about God and his power. The press of the 21^st century will not knowingly do that. “So,” you might reply, “what’s the point? Of course I don’t expect the press to tell my children the truth about God.” Exactly! So who will tell your children about the glory and majesty of God?

 

As parents you want your children to come to know Christ. But you must remember that the world around you, which is under the influence of Satan (Eph. 2:1-3; I John 2:15-17) is trying its best to misrepresent God and discredit the power of his Son, Jesus Christ. The main agent God will use for your children to learn the truth about God is parents. Instructing a Child’s Heart has a chapter that calls parents to give their children a vision for the glory of God (Chapter 8). This, indeed, is a high calling. That is why it is important to be aware of how the news media is portraying the providence and actions of God.

When the actions of God are reported only as the random slippage of fault lines, God has been dishonored by the telling of a half-truth. By simply describing an earthquake in geological terms it appears that major events that in the world are random and without purpose.  When the massive suffering that results from this earthquake is reported only in terms of human tragedy, God is actually robbed of his glory. This type of reporting paints man as an innocent victim whose life is held in the balance of random impersonal forces that may strike at any time.

What would a God-honoring conversation about the Chengdu  earthquake sound like? Listen to this conversation with a 4th grader.

Hi Mom.

Hi Justin! How was school today?

It was okay, except it’s really sad about all those poor people in China and  Burma. My teacher said that millions are homeless and  thousands have died.

That is sad, Justin.

Yeah, my teacher said that terrible things can happen to anyone. He said that these things happen and there is nothing we can do. Mom, I’m kind of scared. What if that big earthquake happened here?

Justin, why don’t you come over here and sit down and we can talk about it.

Okay, mom. But I don’t like it;  we could all be dead or homeless. The man on the TV news said the cyclone and earthquake were just random events. What does random mean?

Son, random means something that occurs simply by accident, without any plan or purpose. What do you think about the word random, now that you know its meaning?

That doesn’t sound right, mom. Remember at family worship last week? Dad said that Jesus holds everything together in the world.

That’s right, Justin! That is exactly what we learned from Colossians. So what does that tell you about the cyclone and earthquake that you talked about in school?

Well, if Jesus holds everything together then he knew about the earthquake and the cyclone.

Exactly. There are no random events if Jesus is holding everything together. So even if something bad happens, like that storm and quake, Jesus knows what is best and has a reason for those things happening.

Well, why didn’t the man on the TV news say that?

Because he probably doesn’t think God has much to do or say about natural disasters.

Mom, are you saying that even if something bad happens to us, like an earthquake, that Jesus knows about it and plans it and we can still trust him to take care of us?

That’s exactly what I am saying. Isn’t that comforting?

I think so.

Do you remember what Dad says about the thunder?

Yeah, Dad says the thunder is the voice of God and we should be amazed at how powerful God is. He said that was in Psalm 92 or somewhere.

Actually, it was Psalm 29. Okay, let me read something to you from Psalm 77. The Bible says that God displays his power in storms and thunder and earthquakes. Listen to these verses:

13 Your ways, O God, are holy.
  What god is so great as our God?

14 You are the God who performs miracles;
  you display your power among the peoples.

15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
  the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
  Selah

16 The waters saw you, O God,
   the waters saw you and writhed;
  the very depths were convulsed.

17 The clouds poured down water,
  the skies resounded with thunder;
  your arrows flashed back and forth.

18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
  your lightning lit up the world;
  the earth trembled and quaked. Psalm 77:13-18

You see, Justin? These events are a reminder of just how powerful God is. The cyclone and earthquake weren’t random at all. They let us know that God is holy and no one is as great as he is.

But Mom, what about all the people that were hurt?

Remember that we also read in Colossians that the world without Christ is a kingdom of darkness?

Yes, I remember Dad making a big deal about that.

Well, God has ways of using even tragedy to let people know that they must honor him as Lord. As this Psalm says, God is displaying his power among the peoples of earth. Does that help?

It does, mom, thanks for talking to me. Maybe we can talk about this more in family worship tonight.

I’m sure Dad would love to.

 

God is an awesome God. Events are not random. Even in devastation the power of God is displayed.

This conversation is not fictitious. It is a composite of many conversations I have seen and heard. This is a way to balance the news and other sources that leave out the wonder of God as he displays his power in this world.

Let me know your thoughts.

Comments

[Michelle Brock]

One of the treasures I own is a platter my mom brought back from Thailand just after the Tsunami several years back. She found it on the beach in perfect condition, yards away from where many people lost their lives in a resort.

The missionaries in this area found many people willing to hear about God, because of this tragedy.

Your post reminded me of one of the stories that the missionaries told of the Christians in a particular village who had been persecuted. They requested permission to celebrate Christmas in the village, and were told no. They were required to leave the village if they wanted to do so, which they did. In this way, they were gone when their village was completely wiped out by the tsunami. These Thai Christians were now sought after by the people in the surrounding villages who had survived, who wanted to know more of their powerful God.

Perhaps this would be a good time to bring out the plate again. Thanks for the thought-provoking post.