The Weight of God's Glory

by Heather Myer

California is no stranger to tragedy. San Francisco was destroyed twice over in the great earth quakes of 1906 and 1989. In 1964, a tsunami ravaged the west coast. El Niños and La Niñas frequently pound the shores and cause flooding. Wildfires comb the hills and valleys in dry seasons, indiscriminant to wealthy or poor neighborhoods. Homes are lost due to erosions and mudslides with the least bit of precipitation. The state has been estimated to one day fall into the Pacific Ocean. California is crowded, populated by people of all nations and tongues. Crime and homicide have become common place. The conservation of animals and wildlife is placed before the sanctity of human lives. Success is measured in assets, bank statements, and investments.

Their land is full of silver and gold; there is no end to their treasures. —Isaiah 2:7–9

It is a land where human stars are admired and praised more than those of the heavens. Foreign gods are mingled with those of man. Many have turned from God, their Creator and King, and sought instead the gods of pride, lust, creation, wealth, and inner-being.

Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made. —Isaiah 2:8

Perhaps natural disasters are not caused by global warming but rather as nature‘s response to God‘s glory. God is holy. We were made to worship and give him praise. If we will not, then nature must. God created the earth in 6 days. The lands were made to complement his glory. If man, the Lord‘s most treasured creation, refuses to praise him and offer him glory, the land will.

The strong shall be a tinder and the work of it as a spark. Both will burn together and none shall quench it. —Isaiah 1:31

In mid-October and again in late November, Southern California caught on fire. The rocky hillsides were ablaze. The Pacific Coast Highway was barricaded in flames. Hundreds of homes were lost and thousands of lives were uprooted in fires that could not be quenched. The powerful Santa Ana winds fed and empowered the inferno. Men fled to safe havens and evacuation centers. Many joined the masses on the interstates to leave the destruction. Some ran out of gas in their attempts to flee and were stranded on roadsides. Others contributed to the chaos by looting abandoned homes.

Men will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from dread of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth. —Isaiah 2:19

Men fled to escape the suffocating smoke, the excessive heat, and the all-consuming blaze. Those who were not yet evacuated, could see flames in the horizon, breathed the thick smoke, and tasted ash in the air. A feeling of panic filled many. After the fires were tamed, the land was left in embers, blackened twigs, and incinerated hillsides. Some of the wildfires were caused by nature, others by electronic malfunctions, more still by arson. Yet all served to redirect glory to God.

People shall be brought down, each man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled. But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment and God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness. —Isaiah 5:15

In the past decade, Earth has experienced global tragedies in the forms of fires, ice, rain, drought, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, and hurricanes. These have resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives and massive devastation. It is a turbulent time in which we live. If only we would soften our hard hearts and return our praise, attention, and offer glory to our Lord! Yet, we are offered hope in a promise.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. —2 Chronicles 7:14

May we pray and seek only him.

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