God's Reason for Natural Disasters

The Earth Itself Cries: Why So Many Natural Disasters?

Due to recent events over the past couple of years, does it seem like there are more natural disasters occurring? Does God not love his children that he seemingly unnecessarily causes them harm?

This earth was created for us, to be our abiding place during a mortal probation. It was made in such a way as to best serve our needs. The Lord had power to arrange the earth, the elements, and all created things in the way that would best serve man, his crowning creation. Why did he make provision for natural disasters? What purpose is served by earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, storms, tempests, heat waves that burn the crops of men, and cold waves that freeze the fruits of the earth? These have all been woven into the continuing existence of our earth, an earth designed to serve us. Why?

It seems clear that we are here in mortality to gain experiences that could not be gained in any other way. We need to combat and overcome the forces of nature. We must face up to the sorrows and vicissitudes of mortality if we are to appreciate the eternal joys of immortality. And in addition, the disasters of earth--controlled as they are in the infinite wisdom of the Lord who knoweth all things--are used by him to temper and train us. He uses natural disasters to bring to us the conscious realization that we are dependent up a Supreme Being for all things. Does that sound familiar with the earthquake in Haiti, or Hurricane Katrina?

He uses natural disasters as a means of judgment to punish us for evil deeds done in the flesh. He also uses them to humble us so that perchance we will repent and live as he would have us live.

"Except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember Him." ~Helaman 12:3

And all of this has particular application in this day of wickedness when the world is being prepared to receive its rightful King.

~Millennial Messiah, Bruce R. McConkie