Faith in the storm: finding God’s heart after Hurricane Melissa

I don’t wear a lot of jewellery, I have, however, invested in a few key pieces that I am happy to wear every day. Notable among them is my silver ‘Jesus fish’ set, an exquisitely crafted necklace with matching ear rings. They never fail to draw attention whenever I wear them.

The other day as I cleaned my room I lost one of the ear rings…again. Having had to replace it several times in the past, I could ill afford that expense yet again. I was on the verge of tears, an awful down feeling in the pit of my stomach.

At least this time, I was sure I had not lost it outside so I wasn’t about to give up the search. I checked the clothes I was wearing. Not there. I checked all the surfaces where it could possibly be: chest of drawers, bedside unit, desktop. Not there. Last desperate option: I used a soft brush to sweep under the bed and my heart literally leapt when it appeared, ushered out in front of the bristles. Call me shallow but I cried, I was that happy.

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As I breathed, “Thank you, Jesus”, I was right then reminded of the Bible passage about the woman who lost one of her silver coins and turned the house upside down until she found it (Lk. 15:8-10). I knew how she must have felt.

This then led me to wondering how God must feel about us as his special handiwork, not willing to let us be lost.

This then led me to wondering how God must feel about us as his special handiwork, not willing to let us be lost. When I considered how overwhelming my emotions were at my loss, I wondered what emotions God has when he sees loss and devastation in his world. When I considered how overjoyed I was at finding my ear rings again, it heightened the impact of the verses that talk about the rejoicing in heaven when one sinner repents (Lk. 15:7, 10). These musings gave me a deeper sense of the breadth and length and depth and height of God’s love for us (Eph. 3:18). We are much more valuable to him than silver ear rings.

READ MORE: In the light of the earthquake in Japan, what is it like to trust God while living on fault lines?

In recent days, the news has been rife with reports of the destruction that Hurricane Melissa has left in its wake as it swept through the Caribbean.

In recent days, the news has been rife with reports of the destruction that Hurricane Melissa has left in its wake as it swept through the Caribbean. Having partly grown up in Jamaica, I have lived through the yearly preparation and anxiety that the hurricane season brings. Thankfully, my mother, who still lives there, escaped the brunt of Melissa. Others parts of the island, however, fared much worse. Closer to home, in the UK, there is news of the awful attack that occurred on the Huntingdon train.

Whether natural or manmade, Christian detractors often view such disasters and ask if there was a God and if he cares, how could he allow such things to happen? But my ear rings, which I lost and then found, provided me with a profound sense of how God’s heart must break at the evil that takes place in a fallen world. God doesn’t cause evil to happen. Evil happens as a consequence of the fall. God, in his divinity, weeps over our brokenness, our loss, our destruction (Lk. 19:41).

READ MORE: Is there a correlation between global disasters and the hand of God?

It is curious that no one ever rails at the devil for the evil that happens. Conflicting reports from the Huntingdon train attack allege that the perpetrator either said, “The devil always wins” or “The devil never wins”. Whatever he did say, the truth is the latter: the devil never wins! As I remember a preacher once saying, the devil may win a skirmish but he can never wins the overall battle.

If God’s ways and thoughts are so much higher than mine, and they are (Isa. 55:8-9), the strength of his love for us must far exceed my capacity to imagine. His heart must be for us to succeed and be well in life as he continues to extend his invitation to us to come to him and abide with him, despite the troubles and hardships which we will inevitably face in this world (Matt. 11:28-30).