As I read through the Old Testament, I see a side of God that I don't hear preached. God put a lying spirit in the mouth of prophets; the servant of Elisha was struck with leprosy; battles lost because God fought against (or didn't go with) his people are just a few examples of God doing "bad" things.
Of course there is plenty of "good" also. People healed of diseases, the dead raised to life, miraculous provision of food during famine, battles won. These are the things I have heard preached over the years. Everyone wants the God is love without the God is justice or wrath. We don't like to think of God causing - or even not stopping - disaster that comes to us personally or corporately.
Hezekiah had prayed for victory over Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Part of God's response through the prophet Isaiah was "Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass," (2 Kings 19:25) God also said, "I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in," (2 Kings 19:27). The message was actually to Sennacherib because he claimed to have done everything in his own strength and mocked the Holy One of Israel.
Can I wrap my mind around my God is SOVEREIGN? He controls or allows everything. He alone is ALL powerful, ALL knowing. Is my God really God in my mind? Is He God of/in EVERYTHING? The story of Job is a great example of God allowing disaster - death of children, loss of wealth, loss of health. But in the end Job had a better relationship with God...and God restored all Job had lost.
Right now in America we are seeing great loss of wealth. Often the wealth was accumulated by greed and lies and inventive accounting. We have claimed to make it on our own. We have pushed God aside and worshiped the idols of money and stuff. Could this downturn in the economy be God saying "I gave you everything and now you deny I exist, so let's see how good you can do without Me?" Just asking!
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