An earthquake strikes and kills eighty thousand people.  A tsunami overwhelms the coastline of the Indian Ocean, killing more then fifty thousand people.  A hurricane slams the US coast which causes flooding and kills one thousand people.

For years out televisions and news stands have fill the public with these images of devastation and human suffering. Whenever these catastrophic happens, the television, radio and the Internet are filled with opinions as to why these things happened.

One side of the spectrum, people ask how a merciful loving God could let this happen.  Many people who ask these questions believe either God is too distant to care what goes on in the world or there really is no God at all.

On the other side of the spectrum are those who suggests God himself is behind these disasters.  That God is punishing all those sinful people. That he is taking revenge for those who won't repent.  An example of this was when New Orleans had been flooded out.  Many had said it was due to the wild excesses of Mardi Gras celebration, its voodoo, and just general immorality.  They believe that all these disasters are signs of the Second Coming.

How should we think on these things?  Does the Bible really teach that God punishes us with earthquakes and other disasters?  Does the church teach us that God sits back while we suffer from the cruelness of Mother Nature?

Of course not! We already know the answer is NO.  But that doesn't help us understand why good innocent people need to suffer.  To some degree, we must accept that some mysteries are beyond our reasoning.  We may never understand why we live in a world of catastrophes.

Maybe it would be better to ask how should we respond when disaster strikes? Can we hold fast to our faith even when there is human suffering?  Can we find His presence, His grace, and His love after we lost all of our possessions? When I have to go through the upsets in life, I will always look at the man in the Bible who suffered the most, Job.

Job had the perfect life of peace and harmony.  Then disaster strikes and terrible things began to happen to him.  Half of his livestock was stolen by marauders, the other half wiped out by a lightening strike.  His children all died when his house collapsed during a windstorm.  An as if this wasn't enough, he came down with a disease that caused his whole body to be covered with sores and foul smelling pustules. Weakened and wearied by his illness he sat in silence while his friends tried to console him.

His friends tried to talk to him of God's justice.  They clearly thought that he did something wrong, committed some sin and he needed to confess and repent. Of course we all know that Job had done no wrong, and he also declared this to them. That he did no wrong and why should he have to endure this.  In fact he wished God would be right there and he would ask God himself why all this suffering. 

Against all expectations, Job got his wish: God showed up.  Where Job wanted to put God on trial, God turned the tables on him and began to question Job.  "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?" "Have you commanded the mornings since your days began?" "Is it your wisdom that the hawk soars?" God revealed His all -encompassing power and holiness.  He also made it clear that Job was not being punished for his sins.

Overwhelmed by God's power and majesty, Job made one of most moving profession of faith.  Why did Job repent? Not for any sins he may have committed. Rather for the repentence  was a change of mind about God.  He grasped that no matter what, God would not abandon him.