“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in You my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.” (Psalm 57:1)
American evangelist Franklin Graham has urged Christians to “Pray for the people of Jamaica.”
Graham, who heads Christian charity Samaritan’s Purse, added that his organization has “been loading cargo planes with shelter tarp, solar lights, medical supplies, water filtration systems, and more to get to the island as soon as an airport is accessible.”
Less than 48 hours after Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, Samaritan’s Purse deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) along with more than 38,000 pounds of life-saving relief supplies to the island nation. The record-breaking storm wreaked havoc across the country, destroying critical infrastructure and leaving many without homes.
International Christian relief organization airlifted emergency supplies onboard its B757 cargo plane from Greensboro, North Carolina along with an advanced team of disaster response specialists to begin meeting needs in Jesus’ Name.
Samaritan’s Purse began preparing for these flights over the weekend as Hurricane Melissa intensified. Now critically needed support including shelter materials, community water filtration systems, household water filters, solar lights, and other essential items are on the way for families devastated by the storm.
“Hurricane Melissa has pummeled Jamaica and left tens of thousands of families in urgent need of help. We are heartbroken for the lives that have been lost and are grieving with those who woke up without their loved ones today,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse. “Our teams began preparing before the storm even made landfall, and we are now on the way with life-saving aid. Please join me in praying for the people of Jamaica and for our staff as they respond in Jesus’ Name.”
Upon arrival, teams will immediately begin distributing emergency relief supplies while they also assess ongoing needs across impacted communities. The Community Water Filtration Systems being transported are each capable of providing safe drinking water daily for up to 10,000 people. Samaritan’s Purse is coordinating closely with Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and its network of more than 250 local church partners, and is prepared to provide medical assistance including mobile medical teams for immediate care and other efforts as healthcare facilities and infrastructure remain severely damaged.
Hurricane Melissa struck the island with sustained winds of 185 mph, becoming one of the most destructive storms to impact the Caribbean in recent years. Severe flash flooding, landslides, widespread wind damage, and prolonged power outages are being reported across the island along with new, emerging needs being reported each hour.
Samaritan’s Purse remains committed to providing urgently needed assistance while sharing the hope and love of Jesus Christ with families facing profound loss in the days ahead.
Why Would God allow natural disasters like in Jamaica recently?
In the wake of loss and disaster, we see all the images and some of us struggle to understand how a God who is all-powerful and all-knowing can also be considered good and loving.
One thing we have to remember is that we are living in a fallen world.
In fact, the Bible says that when man fell into sin, all of nature was cursed.
In other words, it was impossible for a sinful man to live in a perfect environment of paradise, so all of nature is cursed.
But having said that, it doesn’t mean that God has a hands-off policy when it comes to natural disasters.
There are many people who after a natural disaster like in Jamaica want to protect God from the clear teaching of the Bible, which shows that God 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.
Let me give you a few examples. Remember during the time of the plagues in Egypt? (Exodus 7:14=11:10)
The 10 plagues of Egypt described in the Bible book of Exodus were 10 disasters that God brought on Egypt when Pharoah refused to let the Israelite nation leave. The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years until God sent Moses to deliver His chosen people. Pharoah’s heart and mind were so determined to keep the Israelite people in bondage that the Egyptians suffered great tragedies. Clearly, God sent those tragedies.
Then you have the time of Noah; (Genesis 6:-9:22) the flood obviously was sent by God. It says regarding Jonah, God hurled a storm into the sea. We m
To sum it up, we do see God in natural disasters; the question, of course, is why does He allow them and what can we learn from them.
We can find answers for any part of life because God is the giver of all life; in fact the Bible in the New Testament teaches us that Jesus Christ “holds all of nature together“. (Colossians 1:16-17).
Is it possible that God can prevent natural disasters? Absolutely!
Can God influence the weather?
Yes, some good examples in the Scripture’s in the Old Testament at Deuteronomy 11:17 and in the New Testament at James 5:17.
In the Old Testament at Numbers chapter 16:30-34, the Scripture’s shows us that God sometimes causes natural disasters as a judgment against sin.
Finally, in the New Testament book of Revelation chapters describes many events which could definitely be described as natural disasters (Revelation chapters 6, 8, and 16).
Now, is every natural disaster a punishment from God? Absolutely not.
In the New Testament Gospel of John chapter 16:33, Jesus said, “In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.”
Jesus is with us, and ready to walk with us through the hard times. That doesn’t mean it will be an easy road. But we won’t be alone.
And so, why does God allow hurricanes like the one in Jamaica recently to destroy homes of thousands of people?
For one thing, spiritually these kind of disasters do shake our confidence in this life and force us to think about eternity.
When these happen, we do see that churches become filled after disasters as people realize just how how tenuous their lives really are and how life can be taken away in an instant.
What we do know is this: God is good!
Throughout many of these disasters we see many amazing miracles occurred during the course of natural disasters that prevented even greater loss of life.
Natural disasters cause millions of people to reevaluate their priorities in life. Hundreds of millions of dollars in aid is sent to help the people who are suffering.
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team is deploying planes full of supplies to Jamaica alongside Samaritan’s Purse after Hurricane Melissa struck as one of the strongest Category 5 storms in recorded history.
“Hurricane Melissa brought complete devastation to parts of Jamaica—with destruction and infrastructure collapse that has isolated people and communities on the island,” said Josh Holland, vice president of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team Global.
“As thousands of residents and visitors navigate the difficult days ahead, the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team will be there to share light in the midst of darkness. Our chaplains will come alongside those affected to offer emotional and spiritual care in Jesus’ Name.”
And so, we pray, for the people, for workers, for God to give wisdom and discernment and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ would find, good soil, and many would come to have eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Walking the Berean Road 