Nature has dealt staggering blows to the earth and its people over the years. Many of them come without warning.

“Hurricane Katrina and Rita made paths of destruction felt by millions. In the midst of total property loss, no power, and devastating flood waters, the affected communities in the Gulf Coast states face epic recovery issues. Estimators are saying these could be the costliest hurricanes ever to hit the United States.

CNN

Hurricanes

Until now…the deadliest natural disaster in US history was the Galveston hurricane of 1900, estimated to have killed between 8,000 and 12,000 people. The category 4 hurricane struck on September 8, leveling nearly three-quarters of the Texas island city.

Tsunamis

On December 26, 2004, the world’s most powerful earthquake in more than 40 years struck deep under the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Sumatra, triggering massive tsunamis that obliterated villages and seaside resorts in more than 10 countries. It reportedly killed more than 226,000 people.

Floods

On average, floods cause more deaths each year than any other natural disaster. The Galveston hurricane-induced flood was by far the deadliest in the US in this century, but dwarfs in comparison to other parts of the world. Bangladesh lost 300,000 people in November 1970 from cyclone-induced flooding, and the massive flooding of the Yangtze River in China in 1931 caused more than 3 million deaths.

Landslides

Landslides, lethal mixtures of water, rocks, and mud, generally are triggered by earthquakes, volcanoes or other weather events. The deadliest landslide in this century was triggered by an earthquake and killed 40,000–50,000 people in Iran on June 20, 1990.

Earthquakes

The planet’s deadliest earthquake of the century by far was a magnitude 8.0 that struck Tiajin, China, on July 27, 1976. The official casualty figure released by the Chinese government was 255,000...but unofficial estimates put the number as high as 655,000.

Volcanoes

The largest eruption in the world this century occurred June 6-9, 1912, at Novarupta on the Alaska peninsula. An estimated 9 cubic miles of magma erupted during 60 hours, about 30 times the volume erupted by Mt. St. Helens in 1980. Since many heeded the warnings, very few were killed.

THERE IS HOPE!

Natural hazards are part of the way the Earth operates...but there is hope. Although we can’t prevent disasters from happening (many times we can’t even issue warnings in time) there are some things coming that we can prepare for now.

For instance, we know for a fact our lifespan is limited. That’s a natural event God has given us plenty of warning about.

“Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” Hebrews 9:27.

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; (and) The wages of sin is death” (Romans 3:23; 6:23)

ARE YOU READY FOR IT?

God loves you, and when your physical life is over He wants you to be with Him in heaven for all eternity. Although He knows you may not heed His warning, God offers us all the way to safety.

“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other”(Isaiah 45:22).

“God our Savior...wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3–4).

This is how He saves us.

“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

“It is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

Here’s our part...

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in

your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

You are saved when you admit your sin and believe that God’s Son, Jesus Christ, died and rose again to cover its penalty completely.

That means you accept Him as your Savior.

What to Pray:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am sinful and I need Your forgiveness to save me. I believe that You died and rose again to pay the penalty for my sin. I want to turn from my sin nature and follow You instead. I invite You to come into my heart and life. Amen.

For disaster information, see this website: ATStracts.org/disaster

“Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love”

(Lamentations 3:32).

“‘To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the LORD, who has compassion on you”

(Isaiah 54:9-11).