Even though more than two months have passed since an earthquake struck the nation of Haiti, the images of that disaster are still fresh in our minds. We remember scenes of incredible and widespread devastation and destruction.

When tragedy strikes, there are always those who ask the question, Why? Most of the answers you hear are simply wrong or irrelevant. Religious leaders like Pat Robertson, claiming to know the mind of God, immediately declared that the quake was God's way of punishing Haitians for the widespread practice of voodoo. Politicians jump in as a way to bolster their own standing; Hugo Chavez, the eccentric leader of Venezuela, made the outrageous and incredible claim that the quake was intentionally caused by some unexplained activity of the U.S. military.

It's not wrong to ask why when tragedies like this strike. But it's vitally important that we find the answer to that question in the right place—the pages of Holy Scripture. There God gives us all the information we need to get the right answers to our questions.

God had pronounced the world he created "very good." It was a world without sin, without death, without accidents or tragedies, without tears and sorrow. But sin changed all of that. The results of sin would not only affect the people that God had created as the crown of his creation but would also affect and infect the created world itself. Paul wrote, "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time" (Romans 8:22). Simply put, tragedies and disasters are natural results of a world that is broken because of sin.

Jesus also tells us that events such as the Haiti quake are signs that the end of this creation is approaching. Jesus said, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains" (Matthew 24:7,8). An event like the Haiti quake is just one more reminder that our Savior's return could happen at any time.

Jesus also said that events like this are intended to lead people to genuine repentance. A number of Galileans had been slaughtered by Pontius Pilate. In another incident many people died when the Siloam tower collapsed on them. Some asked Jesus if this happened because the victims were more wicked than other people. Jesus simply answered, "No!" and then encouraged repentance (Luke 13:1-5).

There are also biblical examples of how human suffering can give God's people an opportunity to show their faith. The famine in Jerusalem was the reason Paul encouraged Christians to gather a special offering of love. The relief effort in Haiti is one more way in which WELS members today can show Christian love to those in need.