More than two (2) decades ago, when I first came across with the phrase an “act of God,” since then I learned few hard lessons. In fact, I noticed this phrase is often used in the insurance industry, in legal rather than religious context. In legal usage, an “act of God” is a natural disaster, and many insurance policies exempt coverage for damages caused by the catastrophe.
Unfortunately, when we’re faced with an unexpected calamity, most of our insurance claims will be denied with all kinds of silly excuses by “acts of men or women.” However, I witnessed that for true believers in God, when faced with an adversity; His acts will be revealed according to ones’ faith in Him. In other words, an “act of God and act of faith” will be working closely together.
For instance, October 29, 2012, an unforgettable day in our family life, when an unexpected “Hurricane Sandy,” also known as “Superstorm Sandy” hit our area during cold night time and the devastation was huge. Especially, our neighbors’ large trees fell on the top of our driveway parked cars and house utility lines damaging not only the vehicles but also property and entire home heating system due to lack of electric power for all most three (3) weeks. During this adversity, our insurance claims were denied under the “act of God” clause. Whom to blame?
What I learned based on the “Holy Bible” (Old and New Testaments) is that natural disasters are part of our life. In fact, the reasons and solutions for the storms in our life are clearly stated in the Holy Bible. For example, the “plagues” in Egypt (Ex.7:14-25; 8, 9, 10 and 11 NKJV). In addition, how can we forget Job’s adversities in the Bible? Job says “He would crush me with a storm and multiply my wounds for no reason. He would not let me catch my breath but would overwhelm me with misery (Job 9:17-18 NIV).” We know that God speaks to Job out of the “storm,” and finally his three (3) friends also listen to the Lord, and God restored Job’s fortune and gave him twice as much as he had before.
When faced with the storm, Jesus Christ said to His disciple “where is your faith? (Lk. 23-25 NKJV)” Yes, His faith has been handed down to us by our forefathers and we have witnessed it; therefore, let us pass it on to our children and grandchildren. Yes, an act of God and act of faith go hand-in-hand. Let us focus on “our faith in God of the Bible” rather than on the storm.
We empathize with our fellow brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, who recently have become the victims of “Hurricane Harvey.” You’re in our thoughts and prayers. May the good Lord protect and provide all of your needs according to the riches of His glory. Keep up your courage and faith!