"Acts of God"?!?
"Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence."
(1 Kings 19:11b-12)
It's being called THE LAKE FIRE. It originated by Lake Hughes up here near the Antelope Valley in Southern California where I live. Hot (extreme heat!) and dry conditions have fueled this fire to burn over 19k acres (nearly 30 square miles). Not only is it an immediate threat to all who live int hat area... and to the firefighters who are battling the blaze... but it's also impacting the rest of us who live here in the AV! The air quality is horrendous as winds blow ash, smoke, and other airborne particles into our homes and lungs. We're all praying for a quick extinguishing of the flames. (As of today, only 40% of the fire is contained.)
While reading 1 Kings 19 today, I came across the famous "still small voice" story of Elijah. Coming off a literal "mountaintop experience," Elijah's life was threatened by Queen Jezebel... so he fled into the wilderness. 40+ days later, he's still on the run, and God calls for a meet up. Elijah is to go outside the cave where he's been holed up. God will make his presence known to the prophet there. 3 major "acts of God" transpire: a windstorm, and earthquake, and a wildfire. Interestingly, the narrator specifically states that "the LORD was not in" each of those experiences. Instead, God came in the form of sheer silence (or "a still small voice").
God was not in the fire.
God did not cause the Lake Fire. This is not part of God's will for us in the Antelope Valley. Physics. Heat. Human choices. Dry brush. High winds. All of that (and more) contributed to this fire. But when we take the time to be quiet... to be silent... to listen deep within... we can discover God's "still, small voice."
2020 has literally been a year like none other. It's easy to feel overwhelmed. But despite the global pandemic, murder hornets, locust swarms, police brutality & cries for social justice, airline crashes, major explosions, wildfires, earthquakes, and so much more... NONE OF THEM have been caused by God.
And yet... God is with us through it all... calling us to be the best humans we can be... and giving us His spirit and presence to accomplish that. AMEN.