The punishment of evildoers

Katrina's force barely clipped New Orleans. Everyone felt relieved that they had been spared. One person was recorded as saying that God was on their side. I thought to myself "Who is he kidding!" God delivering that hotbed of godlessness? The next day the levies broke and New Orleans took a bath. I didn't hear the same sentiment. All was quiet. Mr. "God on our side" would have to say publicly "I was wrong. We are really getting a spanking for our godless ways."

Some Muslims were quick to point out God's judgement of evil America as illustrated by the New Orleans disaster. Then an earthquake hit Pakistan. Oops. Let's not talk about what that meant.

You can't have it both ways. It is tempting to talk about God pouring out judgement of the evildoer. When it happens to us we want to be able to say that this is different. We are so enticed to state what we think God is doing to someone else. When it happens to us we ask, what did we do?

I choose to look at it like this. In the bible Matthew 5:45 says " For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too." We can't know the mind of God and who he chooses to bless and who he chooses to punish. So let's not guess. God sends sun and rain to people regardless of who they are.

I have seen bumper stickers that express that same idea, not necessarily found in the bible. It simply states "IT HAPPENS!"