Warnings Wrapped in Mercy

In recent weeks, the world has watched with disbelief as disaster after disaster has struck with alarming force.

A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Russia yesterday triggered widespread tsunami warnings across the Pacific.

Wildfires rage across Turkey and southern Europe, driven by relentless heatwaves.

Floods have killed hundreds and displaced thousands in southwestern United States, as well as South Korea.

It is not just the scale of these disasters, it is the sheer number and speed with which they seem to be happening, and people are asking: Is this the new normal?

The past two decades have seen a marked increase in the frequency, severity, and impact of natural disasters:

- Wildfires are burning longer and hotter.

- Hurricanes are forming faster and carrying more rain.

- Floods are becoming more destructive.

- Earthquakes are triggering complex secondary disasters such as tsunamis, landslides, and power grid failures.

According to data from the United Nations and global climate agencies, the number of weather-related disasters has increased fivefold since the 1970s.

AccuWeather and other weather analysts note that 2025 is shaping up to be one of the most flood-impacted summers on record in the U.S. with a 70% increase in flash flood reports compared to the 10-year average through mid-July.

Ongoing flash flood watches and warnings are in effect for parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, and southwestern Montana.

Storms moving into central and eastern states may bring additional flooding, according to The Washington Post.

In recent years, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and parts of Europe have all faced record-breaking disasters that have overwhelmed infrastructure, emergency response systems, and insurance safety nets.

Is this the new normal? Is there something bigger going on here?

As overwhelming as the problem may seem, it is not hopeless.

For those who study Scripture, the increase in natural disasters is not entirely unexpected. The Bible has long foretold that in the time just before Jesus Christ returns, the world will experience upheaval on many fronts.

In Matthew 24, Jesus Himself said, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” Matthew 24:7-8 ESV

These events are not random or meaningless. They are signs, wake-up calls to a world that is out of balance.

Nature is groaning under the weight of sin and brokenness. But these groanings also serve as reminders that our time here is short and that Jesus is coming soon.

I love The Message Version of the following texts:

"...The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens. All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy." Romans 8:18-25 The Message Version

Luke 21: 25-28 gives a striking description: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring… Men’s hearts failing them for fear… And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

These “signs of the times” are not meant to stir panic, but to stir repentance and hope! They remind us that God has not abandoned the earth; He is about to intervene!

The disasters, though painful, are warnings wrapped in mercy. They call us to wake up, to prepare, and to turn our eyes toward heaven.

Rather than placing all our hope in technology, policy, or human systems, important as they are, the Bible urges us to seek shelter in God.

"God is our refuge and strength,

    a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way,

    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam,

    though the mountains tremble at its swelling." Psalm 46:1-3 ESV

I believe each wildfire, flood, or earthquake is a reminder that this world is temporary. And, now is the time to prepare our hearts, strengthen our faith, and share the hope we have in Christ!

The storms may rage around us, but for those who trust in Jesus, the future is secure.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." John 14:1-3 ESV