2020 has been an extraordinary and unforgettable year. With the spring blossoms, a new crown pneumonia pandemic came unexpectedly, endangering the world. Many innocent people were infected and some lost their lives, while families were affected.
With the approach of summer and the flourishing of creation, and as people breathe a sigh of relief, many days of continuous rainfall have led to serious flooding in many southern provinces. According to incomplete statistics, 30.2 million people and 2,667 hectares of land in Shanghai, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Henan, Anhui, Hubei and other places have been severely affected. As of July 14, direct losses totaled 61.71 million yuan.
Some people have used qigong to fight the flooding, staging a ridiculous farce. Some clay statues have been lost in the rising floods, and the water rushed into the Dragon King Temple. People found that it was difficult to protect themselves. How can people find support during a time like this? We can find the answer in Acts 14:17: “He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” God is the master of the world, and all creation is under the control of his all-powerful hand. And as it is written: The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever. (Psalms 29:10)
Sin has entered the world because of the disobedience and trespasses of men. So misery and misfortune have brought earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, etc. Although they are forces of nature, everything is in the hands of God.
The great flood in Noah's time was the first great catastrophe that mankind faced. The scope was so large that it spread all over the world, so much so that the records of the origins of various peoples later contained the legend of the great flood. In the Chinese classical book "Book of Documents", it was written that "the rushing flood raged on the earth and swept the mountains", which shows that the floods covered the earth. The reason is that "man’s wickedness on the earth was great and every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time." "The earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways." As for "the Lord was grieved that he made man on earth, and his heart was filled with pain." (cf. Gen 6:5-11) God is righteous and holy, and he wants to judge and destroy the old world of mankind.
However, because of his mercy and compassion, God chose Noah, the righteous and innocent man of that era, to build an ark. It took a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of energy to build a ship that was half the size of a football field and four stories high, in accordance with God’s instructions. Although there may be people who do not believe, but question and ridicule, he did everything just as God commanded him (Genesis 6:22). In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights. As the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth for a hundred and fifty days. Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out. Men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. This is God's miraculous salvation from the great flood.
Nowadays, people’s sins are even more serious. Hidden sins, sins of lust, depravity of the flesh, depravity of the soul, depravity of luxury and corruption are worse than ever before, and all kinds of sensational cases occur repeatedly. And these arouse God's anger. God uses these disasters to remind people to repent as soon as possible. If they do not repent, they can’t escape from God's righteous judgment. God is not slow in keeping his promise. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. He hopes for us to turn away from our sins, repent and convert, follow Jesus, and become a new creation in Christ. So God's salvation guards us as the ark, and if you trust and accept Jesus, you will be saved.
Although the pandemic continues and the flooding has not stopped, we have peace in our hearts because we firmly believe that God is with us and we will receive God’s help. As it is written by the descendants of Korah in Psalm 46, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalms 46:1-3)"
- Translated by Abigail Wu
