Perspective – Talking to Your Children about the Midwest Floods

What was a half a world away is now here. The impact of the flooding will be felt well outside the immediate geographic region. Food prices, already on the rise from gas prices, will be impacted by the loss of crops from the flooding.  What is the biblical response? What do you tell your kids?

As we noted last month, even in the midst of tragic events God is still God. Psalm 77 is a great comfort to remind us that there are no random events. In the face of these mighty acts of Christ, it is appropriate to ask (as the psalmist does), “Has God forgotten to be merciful? Is he angrily withholding his compassion?" But it is also right to then find comfort in the mercy and power of God, “Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is as great as our God?”

You can say for sure that God is at work. These floods are but a small example of the power of God. You can also tell your children that it is right and important to pray for the folks in the Midwest who have been affected by the flooding, especially their brothers and sisters in Christ. If you or your church have the ability, sending some form of tangible aid is appropriate as well. For sure, take time to pray for those whose lives have been changed by these floods.

But, taking a step back, these floods show that this world is not paradise. Our citizenship is in heaven. Until Christ returns, tears will flow. The blessing of these events is that they point to the great God of heaven. They display his power.

One additional thought on a biblical perspective regarding these events - It is important not to read more into natural disasters than what is clear from Scripture. There is a tendency to attempt to find some correlation between a major disaster and God’s judgment. So, when a hurricane hits New Orleans, it is perhaps easy to say they got what they deserved. The same could be said about earthquakes striking Hollywood and Las Vegas. China and Burma are non-Christian countries, so the storm and earthquake seem to be judgment. But what about Iowa? Iowa does not fit the stereotype. The American rural Midwest is not a place we think of as “Sin City." Even the political pundits recognize Iowa as part of the Bible Belt—it is not on anyone’s Top 10 list of places begging for judgment. Yet, in the past month powerful tornadoes and devastating floods have ravaged this area. If not judgment, then what is God doing?

Tell your children that this is just another indicator of God displaying his power among the peoples of earth. In the last month strong earthquakes have shaken China and Japan. A cyclone had ravaged Burma. Tornadoes have ripped through middle America. Some places in the U.S. have more water than they know what to with and other places have almost none.

We are now entering the hurricane season. These disasters are reminders of God’s power and his control over this earth. Psalm 77 says, “I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.” God is displaying his power. Only the people of God can know the true meaning of these powerful actions. Your children need to know that man is not the victim of the random acts of Mother Nature. God declares his power through the storm, whirlwind and flood.  These “disasters” indicate that the God of the universe is alive and that man is accountable to him.

Give your children a biblical perspective on these things. No matter how hard he may try, man is not the ruler of this world. The Lord of the wind and waves is pointing to a better place, a new earth and a new heaven. When a favorite toy is broken, God has a better gift. When a town is washed away, God has a better dwelling place. Raise your children with these spiritual realities. Raise them from God’s perspective –the Judge of all the earth does right. Only through the lens of the Gospel can you offer hope to your children, to yourself and to those around you.

We will return to the current series on communicating the goodness of God in the next post.