Where is God in the turmoil and disasters around us?

Many people must be thinking this, both believers wondering what is happening and non-believers thinking it confirms the absence of any guiding hand. 'Not for me, The Lord says, to think as you think. My dealings are higher than yours by the full height of heaven above earth', after which the prophet Isaiah ran out of descriptions. Any pattern to the mayhem and chaos we see in the news is beyond comprehension. Wars and Global Warming are man-made, but earthquakes are not.

Deaths are occurring in thousands. Was it Stalin who said 'a million deaths are a statistic, a single death is a tragedy'? Stalin was a ruthless atheist, but his early training was to join the clergy. Who knows what goes on in a dictator's mind? For most people, death is the ultimate disaster, though it is inevitable. However, from God's perspective with the Heavenly Host, life is continuous. Human death is just the passage from mortal life into eternal life. The huge death toll in various disasters is truly upsetting, but even more real and immediate to family and friends is individual loss and grief from accidents, illness or violence.

Where is humanity in the turmoil and disasters around us? Adversity seems to bring out the best in us. Communities come together to support one another when times are hard. Food Banks and other sharing and caring schemes are flourishing. The first responders in the earthquake and flood disasters have been the local people getting there before anyone else. The Libyan floods were preceded by political upheaval that divided the country, but the disaster seem to have brought people together in the face of catastrophe.

In ancient writings, Elijah was looking for God, but God was not in the wind, the earthquake nor the fire. God was in the whisper of a gentle breeze. Bible readers will recognise this; I apologise for a very basic summary. Others may know of similar writings in other faiths. We are guided to listen quietly to everyday things, not look for a big bang!

We have a nephew with physical and mental problems. While pleasant enough, he goes silent, neither answering his phone nor calling back. After six months without trying to connect, my wife had an instinct to phone him. He not only answered, but was desperate for contact having lost his dog and trusty companion the very day before. Telling this story among friends, there are many instances of similar events beyond reasonable coincidence. The Heavenly Host seems to follow what goes on in detail, poking in when needed to those who will listen to whispers in the breeze.

Maybe the Heavenly Host really is watching! But God does not think the way we do; we cannot understand the thoughts that Isaiah could not even describe. The Good News is that we are each of us being watched over. The Bad News may be that the Heavenly Host has such a massive task that when we get to 'the Pearly Gates' we will be very busy, rather than 'Rest in Peace.'

It will all come right in the end; if it has not come right, we have not yet reached the end. (Indian wisdom from the proprietor of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel)

We just have to do the best we can with what we have.