About a week has passed since Hurricane Helene hit the U.S. Helene is the deadliest hurricane since Katrina. Hardest hit was western North Carolina, where more than half of the known 215 deaths occurred. Floodwaters reached rooftop levels in many places; the rapidly moving water washed away homes and isolated, or destroyed, many communities. You have seen the photos.

 I have been involved with disaster relief for 40 years, including some notable hurricanes like Andrew, Katrina, and Harvey. In every disaster people have asked “why” questions related to God, nature, governments, and people. Sometimes the answers are so vague or misguided they are of little help or comfort. I am certainly no expert, nor do I offer worldly answers. But I offer a reflection based on my Christian faith.

 Our modern world surrounds us with amazing technology. We have harnessed electricity and split atoms. Pictures can be taken of what is inside our body and what Earth looks like from space. Wind velocity and direction can be measured inside the area of a hurricane. Images of a hurricane appear on TV, along with computer models of where it might be headed. “Why couldn’t we predict exactly what was going to happen in NC?” Because we are much more limited in our knowledge and capability than we care to admit. The Bible tells us, “The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know” (1 Corinthians 8:2). When we see all that God has done, we cannot comprehend it, though we work hard to find definitive answers (Ecclesiastes 8:17).

 The response to a large-scale disaster like Helene is commendable. But it does take time, and manpower. For instance, local citizens used kayaks to rescue people until swift water rescue teams and helicopters arrived. Another example was the two days for a Baptist feeding unit to arrive from Texas to provide 50,000 hot meals per day; in the meantime, local efforts provided MREs for survivors to eat. I could go on, but remember that many of the survivors or responders may not be Christian, or even believe in God. Yet each of them was created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). As Christians, we believe God works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28), but do all affected by a disaster love God? Probably not, yet as Job said, “God is mighty and firm in his purpose” (Job 36:5), a purpose based on his love for the entire world (cf., John 3:16).

 Lastly, reflect on human nature itself. I am amazed, but not surprised, by the overwhelming demonstrations of love found in the midst of disasters. It is not confined to the love believers have for the least of God’s people (Matthew 25:40). Rather, it is how God also uses love in the unbeliever to achieve his purpose. I’m not suggesting an act of love is a means of salvation for the unbeliever. It is, though, an expression of the amazing love of our Lord at work.