Pratt: There are limits to God's great patience with humanity
It is the climate of our faith rather than weather change that is the greatest threat to our world.
Those of us who grew up on the farm tend to recall climate as seasonal weather events that either caused great destruction or the occasional “bumper” crops. Today, the speed of change in technology also creates major stress events for family and business.
Even more eventful, illness and/or death of a parent or sibling, shakes us like an earthquake whether we are a child or an adult when it occurs.
How we handle our successes, sorrows or failures become key ingredients for how our children later deal with life. Such is the history of all humanity.
Who would have thought that just a few days ago an almost certain tragic outcome at a professional football game would inspire a sports stadium filled with people to pray for a young man who suddenly collapsed on the field after making a tackle.
Earlier that week a new, much younger acquaintance had commented to me, “America has become Sodom and Gomorrah,” referencing the biblical destruction of two cities noted for their wicked rebellion against God.
We were discussing our love of reading when she mentioned how lightly some take the issue of abortion.
I thought of that conversation when a couple of days later, I watched both football teams and fans for each side embrace and kneel or bow their heads in prayer for the life of Damar Hamlin, who is now recovering from cardiac arrest.
In recent years, attacks on religion include a ban on public prayer, targeting schools, public and sports events. But when a life actually hangs in the balance, God still is our only hope even in the best of circumstances.
The young man's thoughtfulness for others became widely known. No doubt there are others who quietly go about doing good deeds in obedience to God wherever they see opportunity. In this way, we demonstrate our faith.
The prayers of teammates and the crowd brings me to think of the biblical story of Noah and the flood, subject of our pastor's Sunday sermon this week. It seems that many Americans still turn to God for help.
But the sermon about Noah reminds me of the political climate of terrorism practiced today. It includes the myth that we have a “death of faith” in this era, an offshoot no doubt of the “death of God” promoted in universities a few decades ago.
They couldn't kill God after all, so now they decide to go after people of faith via anti-religion laws, fake discrimination charges and other political maneuverings. Satan's minions are so busy that it is easy for us to become discouraged.
If you want to know about the power of God, read the story of Noah. There are limits to God's great patience with humanity. (Genesis 7) There is a biblical climate story for you, a reality that in May of 1957, when we married in the middle of another thunderstorm. We began to wonder if it was a worldwide great flood in 1957 when Blanco Canyon roads were flooded, blocking travel to Lubbock to pick up the wedding dress at Hemphill's! But then, we saw the rainbows after the storms, God's promise.
God started over by saving Noah and his family along with all animals who breathe oxygen (the fish were fine with the flood).
Noah was not perfect, as we learn post-flood, but he was a man who believed God and followed his command to build an enormous boat, suffering with incredible patience the ridicule of his neighbors.
Civilization has come a long way, both good and bad, since those ancient stories were recorded for our benefit. But it seems humanity is still bent on self-destruction via evil.
For all the “cuteness” of a big boat loaded with all species of animals, this is not a children's story, but a serious warning that God's forgiving patience and love has its limits.
Beth Pratt retired as religion editor from the Avalanche-Journal after 25 years. You can email her at beth.pratt@cheerful.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Pratt: There are limits to God's great patience with humanity
