By the Rev David Muir, Anglican Pioneer Minister in the Okehampton area

Floods

IT'S an idea that's been going around. God wiped out much of the world in the times of Noah, because the world had got so wicked. And maybe we've also been rather bad and that's why we're getting flooding over large parts of England?

Certainly one councillor thought so. He recently announced the floods as God's judgement on the country for approving gay marriage. He had been a Tory and joined UKIP as perhaps more tolerant of such views. Not so, it turned out.

But is there some merit in the idea? After all, surely God has the right to judge (even punish) wickedness?

Put aside gay marriage. What about British support for 'liberalising' international trade so poorer and less powerful countries get even more squeezed?

What about houses in England lying empty while people who need housing languish in B&Bs, on other people's sofas or on the streets?

Might such bad things deserve God's judgement? Maybe not wiping out whole populations (apart from a few good people on a boat...) but certainly some watery disruption?

But how bad is bad? By God's standards, bad (even despicable) things are done every day — and that's just in your life and mine! Every life is tainted. We all needed Christ to die for us. When it comes to wickedness, where do you draw the line?

The Bible reminds us God can act on the stage of history – with His prophets pronouncing His action ahead of time and inviting people to repent to avoid it. So where were the 'prophetic' voices before our floods happened?

More typically, God acts through His people, all those who own the name of Christ.

They care for those in need. They proclaim God's justice and press those in power to act differently.

God is constantly speaking and acting. Those who have ears to hear get the message.