The recent volcanic eruption has had a devasting and disruptive effect on so many people as flights were grounded for several days. It is good to see flights now safely resumed and we hope and pray everyone who is stranded will find their way home soon.

I have heard people describe the eruption as being an act of God and it really irritates me. Why do people only say that bad things are acts of God? When something good happens why doesn't he get credit for that?

The bible says  'For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time'. (Romans 8.22)' This groaning is as a result of sin entering the world and now the earth is groaning, waiting for the day when Jesus will return and make a new earth where there will be no sickness or death or natural disasters. So why do we blame God, when he has shown us through the Bible that these natural disaters are as a result of a world spoilt by sin.

God is good, he has blessed us with a world in which there is plenty of food and it is a tragedy that just over 1 billion people (1/6 of the earth's population)* go hungry every day. This is a terrible act of humanity.

God is doing amazingly good things all the time, just wish we could see it!!

To hear more, go to the Listen to talks page and listen to the talk from the service on 18th April.   

Graeme

*The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations produced this report in June 2009.