Have you ever noticed that when something good happens in the world, there’s credit abounding everywhere among mankind? Credit for the medical breakthrough? Man. Technological advance? Man. Financial boon, peace treaty, natural discovery? Man, man, man.
But when something bad happens, it’s always God’s fault.
Tsunamis are a case in point. The reasoning? People have no power for controlling the ocean’s force. Only God has that kind of power so inevitably we reach the foregone conclusion: it must be God’s punishment when the tsunami hits. Then society asks the predictable question, “Why would God punish Japan or whatever country is involved?”
We miss the point when we go down that line of reasoning: this world is not meant to last.
Just as cars have warning lights when things are not working properly; just as nuclear reactors have certain predictors when danger is ahead; just as cell phones have signal strength showing the limitation of their range of reception, so also the earth gives signs that it was not meant to last.
In blaming God, our great reasoning error is assuming that this earth is our final and greatest destination. Earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, wars, fires—all these things are indicator lights that this world is on its way to being obsolete.
The irony is this: those who believe in the inherent goodness and competence of man and do not believe in God at all—they are the quickest to blame the God-who-doesn’t-exist whenever disaster strikes.
For those who do believe God exists and who ought to know there is a greater final destination (a new heaven and a new earth), they look to blame societal sins in answering the question “Why?” Answers are on every corner: Shame on the capitalists, the gays, the divorce rate, the West, and the sex trade!
Rather than agreeing that a nasty God is punishing anyone, Christians are supposed to accept these natural disasters as heart-wrenching longtime warning signs (Romans 8:22) of an earth that has been broken since Genesis 3. These are signs that Jesus referenced in saying redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28)—ones urgently pointing to a different final destination than this old, broken earth.
The question that remains is whether we will give up blaming long enough to begin with a different line of reasoning—one that assumes this earth is not our final destination—and to prepare accordingly.
A central theme of Deuteronomy is encouragement to remember and not to forget. While that might seem like the same encouragement coming and going, there is an important distinction which we see in Chapter 8. In Deut 8:2, Israel was to remember that God faithfully led them in the desert for 40 years; their clothes never wore out; neither did their sandals; they had food to eat; and water to drink. Day after day for 40 years God was faithful. Every day for 40 years, God ensured they would have no doubt His hand had delivered them. He was continually delivering them. Forty years… the full lifetime of everyone under the age of 40! God had proven His faithfulness every day of their lives. This was grace in the desert.
The closer we get to God, the more we see ourselves in our sinful state. In Exodus 19 and 20, Israel was told to be prepared to meet their God. They had prior warning (Exodus 19:9). Couldn’t they have been totally prepared? They had two days to wash their clothes—and they did. They set up barricades to keep themselves from touching the mountain in Sinai’s desert. Done. Check!
Moses was one of them. By comparison with an equal, they weren’t quite so afraid…or appalled at how sinful they were. Have you ever had a white shirt that once you wore it, no matter how effective the laundry method, strong the detergent, how much bleach you used, that shirt was never brilliant white again? Hanging amongst many not-so-white-anymore shirts, one shirt doesn’t look so bad, but buy a new one, hang it on a hanger, and all the old shirts dim by comparison.
If the Bible were to have a “Best Of” series of Hall of Fame moments, it might be about the desert and recount times when the nation of Israel had seen God at work in powerful ways! In many respects, today’s passage ( 
Who are you and what are you doing?
As we prepare the way for the Lord during Lent, let’s ask ourselves:
The theme for our series is Prepare the Way—highlighted in today’s Scripture verse:
bush and received God’s call to deliver Israel from Egypt. It was in the desert that Moses climbed Mt. Sinai and received the Law to guide the chosen people. It was in the desert that the unfaithful ones died (those who refused to trust God’s faithfulness to bring them safely into the Promised Land as recorded in Numbers 14:29-30). The desert was a place of purification and testing.
What is forgiveness? Forgiveness is a transaction between two or more individuals. Forgiveness assumes someone acted wrongly toward another and that the offended person has a right to something as payment to make peace with the offense and the offender. It’s also a relational issue…and a complicated one at that. If you’d like to explore deeper, join me on the next page.
I’m continuing to start seeds indoors. I try not to start them so early that they become leggy before planting season. Knowing the last frost date for my area of USDA zone 5 is May 15, I back-calculate to determine what seeds to start on any given week. 
Martha Washington geraniums are cool season bloomers, but will continue blooming into the summer if sheltered from heat or full sun locations. I took cuttings when I brought them in last fall which served 2 purposes: (1) it made the mother plant smaller and (2) provided ample stock for multiplying quantities. I do the same with coleus which are easily started from cuttings. I grow stock plants through the winter under lights, take cuttings for new plants, and harden them off when planting season arrives.
I thank God for everyone whose life has forged my Christian walk. I am grateful for so many women including wives of the men whose names appear here and the ways you have stood by my side. Ladies, your encouragement and support I have never doubted. You know who you are and what a blessing you have been to me!