The God Assurance Policy

“Other acts of God…”  Have you ever heard this phrase before?  If you have an insurance policy to protect your home or possessions, it most likely excludes earthquake coverage and other damages caused by “acts of God,” otherwise known as natural disasters.  As I write this, a major 7.1 aftershock has hit the northeastern coast of Japan, adding another stressor to this overstressed country.  Like many people, you may wonder: “Are natural disasters like earthquakes personal “acts of God?”

The Bible makes it clear that we do live in a broken world, a world that is far different from the perfect, harmonious earth that God created.  When Adam and Eve sinned and chose their own way rather than God’s way, they not only lost their own inner peace and harmony, they subjected the environment to unrest and instability as well.  The result is our present earth where natural disasters can and do happen. 

Romans 8: 20a-22a tells us:  “For creation itself (the natural world) was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice…. And creation will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the liberation of the glorious children of God.  We know that the whole creation has been groaning right up to the present time.”

Whenever a catastrophic event occurs, there is always speculation that God may have caused it to express His displeasure.  This type of thinking is not new.  When Jesus was on earth 2000 years ago a tragic event occurred.  A large tower under construction in Siloam collapsed and killed 18 of the construction workers. 

People obviously were discussing what happened and why those particular workers died.  Jesus addressed their ideas about an “act of God” being responsible.  “Those 18 who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them, do you think they were more guilty than all the rest of those living in Jerusalem?  I tell you no!”  (Luke 13: 4-5a)

When an entire village refused to welcome Jesus, two of his disciples thought it would be a good idea to have a natural disaster strike the village to punish it.  What was Jesus’s response to this idea?  “But He turned and rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For I, the Son of Man, did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.’”  (Luke 9:55)

Jesus made it clear to his disciples that in this world we have an adversary, Satan, who will use anything and everything in creation against us.  He told them in John 10:10:  “For Satan, the thief, comes only to kill you, steal from you and destroy you.”  He then made His intentions plain:  “But I am come to give you a life full of abundance.”

Jesus will never impose Himself and His intentions upon us.  He respects us far too much to do that.  We are created as free will agents and can affiliate with anyone we choose to.  God invites us to choose Him and His way.  He gives us this powerful assurance: "Because you love me," says the Lord, "I will rescue you; I will protect you, for you acknowledge my name.  You will call upon me, and I will answer you; I will be with you in trouble, I will deliver you and honor you. With long life will I satisfy you and show you my salvation.”  (Psalms 91: 14-16)

Today as we are faced with the unsettling news of one natural disaster after another, it’s a good idea to review our insurance policy and keep it up to date.  But don’t forget that God loves you and wants to give you His protection.  So do yourself a favor and take the God Assurance Policy.  Walk with Him daily and experience His benefits!

Please come and join us this Sunday for either our first service at 9:00 AM or our second service at 11:00 AM.  My sermon “Redemptive Judgment” is part 1 of our new series on “The Power of Love”.