Sandy’s devastation – spiritual considerations

Fri, Nov 9, 2012

Editor: Super storm Sandy has been dubbed “the storm of the century” by many. A number of Caribbean countries and American states have experienced much devastation during its passage. Lives have been lost. Many have been left homeless without basic amenities. Our sympathies and assistance (where possible) should be extended to those affected by the disaster.{{more}} Since the passage of the storm, there have been talks about climate change and global warming. However, these disasters should not escape our attention without spiritual considerations. It is an opportunity to consider the inevitable destruction that will engulf the world, preserving only those who serve the Creator in spirit and in truth.

Not only should destructive events like Sandy serve to remind us of our human frailty and powerlessness in the face of disasters, but they foreshadow what is to come in the future. One 19th century religious writer, E.G. White, reminds us that “Coming events cast their shadows before.” She further warns that “The Spirit of God is withdrawing from the earth, and calamity follows calamity by sea and by land. There are tempests, earthquakes, fires, floods and murders of every grade,” she says.

While much is invested to rebuild now, the worldwide future destruction will be irreparable. It behoves us therefore to prepare, so that we will not be destroyed among the wicked. Through the prophet Isaiah, God gives a graphic description of the end time scenes. He declares “Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof … the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and a few men left” Isa 24:1,6.

While many storm-affected victims look to humans for help and they trust men/women to fulfil their pledge, there is a destruction that is coming in which it will be futile and hopeless to look to human efforts. It is therefore important for us to learn to trust God sorely NOW. Only those who make God their trust and live righteously now will survive. In her book, “Desire of Ages”, E.G. White reminds us that “there is assurance in nothing human or earthly”. Only those who repent of their sins and have their characters sanctified by the word of God will escape His final destruction.

Let us be watchful and take warning from these disastrous events. God is Love and He seeks, through signs, to warn us. It is not His will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. We may be able to recuperate from the effects of Sandy, but we will not recuperate from God’s final destruction if we fail to prepare to meet our God.

Ann-Marie Ballantyne
svgpatriot@hotmail.com