Thought for the Week: Free will
Gerald Drewett reflects on free will and the nature of the universe
Hurricane Patricia, in October, was the most powerful tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere. Fortunately, Patricia didn’t materialise as a killer. The most deadly hurricane was Bhola, in 1970, which hit Bangladesh and India and caused an estimated half million deaths.
Why does God allow hurricanes, earthquakes and floods, which kill people? This is a very human-centred question and one that will always be asked. So, what is the answer? We know there is a spiritual power, which we call love. It is so powerful that if we open ourselves to it, it will change our lives. When we meet people who are similarly deeply affected the depth of relationship we experience is ‘out of this world’. It is by far the highest quality we can ever experience, so we distinguish it by calling it ‘divine love’. This, we say, must be the nature of God. ‘Love divine, all loves excelling’ as Charles Wesley’s hymn says.
