Devotional

“Why Do Catastrophes Happen?”

Genesis 19:12-13  (NKJV)

12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! 13 For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”

Genesis 19:30  (NKJV)

Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.

Genesis 18:32-33 (NKJV)

32 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” 33 So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

Main Goal:

Let’s draw near to the Lord with an attitude of worship. We humble ourselves in His presence and recognize that He alone is worthy of praise. He does not reject anyone who comes with a contrite and humbled heart. We command our soul to bless and thank God for all that He has forgiven. We stand in the gap to intercede for our nation, our families, and for the nations of this world that are perishing. May return to you. We believe, during this fast, Lord you will extend your hand of power and mercy.

 When a catastrophe occurs, should we interpret it as a punishment from God or think it’s because God is angry? (i.e. earthquakes, famine, plagues, epidemics, pandemic, etc.)

 The Biblical answer is, sometimes, yes; sometimes, no. In the opening verses, we see that catastrophe was used by God to fulfill His plans.

 What is a catastrophe? It is a sad event which produces destruction and misfortunes, with serious alterations to the normal development of things.

 Sodom was a shameful city. When a foreigner would arrive to that city, its inhabitants were ready to rape and engage in wide-scale homosexual acts. However, sexual violence was not their only problem. One sin leads to another. The word of God says that the wages of sin is death.

Ezekiel 16:49 (NKJV)

Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

God wouldhave extended His mercy because He loves His creation. He would have allowed that city to remain standing - if Abraham, as the intercessor, had found ten righteous men in the city.  

Read Ezekiel 18:23-32  (NKJV)

23 Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?

24 “But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.
25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair? 26 When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. 27 Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. 28 Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair?
30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!”

Abram wanted nothing to do with the people who lived in that city.

Genesis 14:21-24  (NKJV)

21 Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’— 24 except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”

 But he put aside his interests or his feelings and pleaded with God. However, he did not find 10 righteous people in that city. Lot, Abram's nephew, lived in Sodom. I believe Abram stood in the gap for that city out of love for his nephew.

Today, it is up to us to intercede for those who have lived a life away from God so that they may turn to Him.

Lot was freed. Though he had to leave his property, wealth, and assets. He fled for his life to a cave. 

Genesis 19:30  (NKJV)

Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.

Lot is the example of men who have their trust in earthly things. They cannot tolerate the idea of ??living in shortage. Jesus ??did not allow His followers to think of Sodom’s dwellers as “terrible” people. He warned that God would be harder on those who saw the miracles of Jesus and yet did not want to listen. 

Matthew 11:20-24  (NKJV)

20 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

My loved ones, God's patience has limits. Today, God wants you to forget about your preferences and feelings. God wants you to become an intercessor. May millions of righteous people rise up to intercede and ask for mercy over the nations. May we ask forgiveness for the nations’ homosexual sin. May God have mercy.

Romans 1:26-27  (NKJV)

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

We break with pride and all generational sin. We pray for all the abortions that have been done because of rape.

Prayer:

Blessed Father, may you be attentive to our prayers and requests. You have the power to heal, liberate, and transform mankind. We come to ask forgiveness for the nations and families that have practiced all kinds of sexual sin. Have mercy on places that have been corrupted. We pray for every curse to be broken. Lord, we ask forgiveness for pride, insensitivity to our neighbor, for abusing our neighbor, child abuse, kidnapping of innocent people, etc.

Bless Him; minister to your family and children in the name of Jesus.