As I gazed out at the beautifully chaotic landscape of ice and falling branches, this truth about God stood out in sharp relief. Paul observes that believers groan under the effects of the fall; and creation groans with us (Romans 8:22). God’s amazing creation under the curse of sin and death does not please him. Death and destruction weren’t even in the picture until Adam and Eve rebelled. Can God wield the fallenness of creation to punish, correct, and rebuke?

Ice storms are unusual in my sliver of the United States. So the arrival of a “historic ice storm” this past month caused quite a stir. This particular storm turned out to be as bad as advertised. Schools were out for days on end, businesses were closed, and church services canceled as people throughout the region hunkered down until the weather warmed a bit. The damage was significant. An inch of freezing rain brought down a forest of trees and branches, causing many to lose power for a long stretch of time. Arctic cold combined with the power outages proved deadly for some of those who were ill-equipped to find alternative heat sources. At least one man living alone in a mountain community was discovered frozen to death in his house. More than 80 people died from this wide-spread catastrophe. But the scenery was just so beautiful.

Perilous beauty raises questions.

That thought gave me pause as our neighborhood slowly thawed, the power was restored, and the damage was cleared. As a child of God who believes in both his sovereignty and his goodness, how should I think of this juxtaposed beauty and destruction seen in his creation?

The morning after the ice silently settled in, I gingerly went for a walk around the block. Every blade of grass was encased in its own crystallized coffin. The drooping tree branches of the evergreens shown sparkling green. Icicles hung down over practically every overhanging surface. And when the harsh, winter sun struck the ice-covered branches of the leafless trees, they scattered light with sparkling brilliance. So beautiful…but so perilous.

Several years ago, our family traveled to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon for the first time. Long story, but we pretty much had the entire national park to ourselves. At my wife’s urging (because all of the boys in our family would have opted for more sleep), we roused ourselves and traveled to the South Rim in plenty of time to see the sun rise. The stunning view was well worth the loss of sleep (at least to the parents!) But a surprising lesson stuck with us. Formed by a global flood, the Grand Canyon stands as an enduring reminder of God’s catastrophic judgment of mankind’s wickedness.

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