"CALAMITY!"

Isaiah 45:5-7                      (ESV)

"5 I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no GOD; I equip you, though you do not know ME, 

6 that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides ME; I am the LORD, AND THERE IS NO OTHER. 

7 I form light and create darkness, I MAKE WELL-BEING AND CREATE "CALAMITY", I am the LORD, WHO does all these things."

There seems to be a misconception that GOD would not cause anything that humans believe is bad for them.  We seem to think that a loving GOD would never do anything we perceive as not good.  But later on in Isaiah 55:8-9 scripture reports "For MY thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways MY ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are MY ways higher than your ways and MY thoughts than your thoughts".  To understand that GOD's way are so far beyond what humans consider as "good" is probably beyond even our comprehension.  

We want to believe we know and do what is best in our lives.  But who are we to say what is best when GOD says HE can MAKE WELL-BEING AND CREAT "CALAMITY"!  The word "CALAMITY" has been described as "a disaster; grievous affliction; adversity; misery".  We try to plan for whatever may be ahead in our lives, but when we exclude GOD from our plans we risk "CALAMITY" with no plan!  "CALAMITY" with no plan causes people to either trust in the LORD or trust in themselves.  "CALAMITY" with a plan (and Planner) simply becomes a inconvenience!  

When our trust is in the LORD "CALAMITY" only means GOD has an opportunity to display HIS power and might, for us to believe "I am the LORD, and there is NO OTHER, besides me there is NO GOD"!  GOD forms light and HE creates darkness.  When we can't see the way we should go, our GOD can create Light to direct us in the way we should go (Psalms 119:105).  When there is NO LIGHT, it is hard to take a step for fear of walking in the dark!  

The darkness comes at times to remind us of Who is the LIGHT!  JESUS HIMSELF said in John 8:12 "I AM the Light of the world"!  Yet we want to remove JESUS from everything we do to display how intelligent we think we are.  But in Romans 1:22 scripture records "Claiming to be wise, they became fools"!  We think we can see more clearly by removing the Light that guides and directs us?  We are acting as fools and creating our own "CALAMITY"!!!