PSALM 33:6-9
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. 9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
Psalm 33 is considered a Hymn of Praise. Verses 6-9 affirms, not only that God exists, but that he is omnipotent (all-powerful). The Psalmist proclaimed in verse 8, "let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him." The word "fear" here is often misunderstood to mean scared or terrified. It actually means having reverence or respect. We must have reverence for and show respect to God—Yahweh (YHW). Originally, the name 'Yahweh' could be interpreted as “He Who Makes That Which Has Been Made”—the I AM. By His "word...the heavens were made, and all the host" (v. 6).
So if God is the creator of all things, why does He allow natural disasters to destroy some of earth's beauty and splendor?
Dr. Erwin Lutzer, an evangelical Christian pastor, teacher and author, was asked in an interview in 2011 “Why would God allow natural disasters?"
His response was quite instructive to Christians as well as unbelievers. He said, "many people want to protect God from the clear teaching of the Bible, which shows He is involved in natural disasters. It is not that God causes them, but the very fact that He could prevent them shows that we need to face squarely the fact that natural disasters happen within God’s providence."
Dr. Lutzer was further asked, "What kinds of lessons can we learn from natural disasters?"
"Natural disasters are a megaphone from God and they teach us various lessons. First of all, natural disasters show us the uncertainty of life. Thousands of people wake up in the morning not knowing what is going to happen that day..."
(Click on this link to view the full transcript: https://billygraham.org/story/where-is-god-in-natural-disasters-2/)
"He who made all things, preserves all things, and can in a moment destroy all things, is the proper object of our 'fear;' and that we fear him so little, is a most convincing proof of the corruption and blindness of our hearts." (Horne)
God's power is undeniable. Yet what better witness than the change we make in our lives because of His love for us. His power can be witnessed through all of us.
Paul declared in Romans 5:8 (NET) that, "...God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
PRAYER: Dear God, I praise you. All of creation is subject to your power and we see your glory in it. You are sovereign, eternal, clothed in majesty and power, indescribable, and just in all your ways. There is no one greater than you. Amen!