God and disasters

Much talk and much news have been going on about the earthquake in Japan, and the tsunamis that are arising because of it. Here in the comfort of my own home, I'm nowhere in the position to empathise with those in Japan who are suffering, those who are dying due to lack of shelter, lack of food and the bare essentials. Death toll over a thousand and many more to come due to poor sanitation, outbreaks of infection and more. And that's not even considering the social and economical impact in the long run...

All these have led me to think back once again on one of the many questions I asked in the past... Why does God allow natural disasters to happen?

I've been thinking and I've been reading and I can't find the answer. There are so many... just so many different "answers" out there including some of mine that may~ seem to answer these, but none of them really fit too well

If all things are for the glory of God... how does this glorify God?
If all things work for the good of those who love Him... how does this work out for the good of those who love Him?
The list goes on.

We ask so many questions like that, hoping to find an answer but at the end of the day, they serve to do nothing and may even stumble us... I'm reminded of this phrase that I read somewhere before: "Sometimes it's not so much about finding the right answers, but rather asking the right questions" The point here is, are we asking the right questions? Are we meant to know the answers to the above questions in this lifetime? Perhaps not. We may not understand the answer even if we were told the answer in our faces anyway. Afterall, in Isaiah 55:8-9 we are told, "For My thoughts are are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth , so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts". We can only trust God and believe that He will make all things beautiful in His time...

Maybe the right question right now, and probably the more practical question right now would be, what can we do to help?

If even us, the creations of God are able to grieve for the people in Japan right now, people totally unrelated to us, people whom we don't know and never will, oh how many times more will God grieve for them? How many times more pain does His heart feel for them than we do? What can we do from over here? We can only pray. Brothers and sisters, let us pray for the people in Japan who are suffering right now. Let us pray for aid to reach them, pray for their safety, pray for their families. Let us pray with all our hearts...