Who Exactly Is This God Guy Anyway?

Now that it seems God has gotten yet another Get Out Of Jail Free card from believers everywhere (with his very own Bush-sanctioned day of prayer coming up this week), I find myself wondering just what type of guy the Big Guy really is.

In essence, is God more of a bin Laden type or a George Tenet type?

I mean, look at the facts. If God really knows everything and does everything according to His plan, then His doing what He did to New Orleans seems to me to put Him up there with the bin Ladens of this world. He must have had what He felt was a good reason for doing what He did and if innocent people had to get killed while He was doing it, then He must have said to Himself, "So be it." We're always told that it's not for us to know His motivations, but when He decides to kill innocent people while He's carrying out yet another one of His mysterious plans, doesn't that make Him a tad bit cruel? Or, well, um ... (huh boy, I'm gonna take heat for this one) ... sort of a terrorist? If He's doing these things to mankind in order to frighten us into doing or not doing something, isn't that the same tactic used by those evil people we're currently in a world wide struggle against?

I mean, I'm just sayin'.

Now, if that's not the case and God really isn't being that mean to us, then does He really have control over what's going on down here? Enough for us to then get together and pray to Him for help? Did He look down when Katrina was moving toward the US and say to those whom He talks to, "Hey, I've got slam dunk information that the hurricane isn't going to kill any innocent people"? Or if He did see it was going to cause so much destruction, did He say, "Oh, it's a sure thing that all those people who don't have money or cars will find a way out, so don't bother sending any buses or trucks to help them evacuate"? Or does He just watch it like the rest of us and say, "Man, I hope that thing doesn't hit New Orleans"? Which would be fine. I'm not going to get down on anybody for not controlling something they have no power to control. But if He can't control it, then why exactly are we spending lots of time praying to Him as if we think He CAN do something to help us?

Look, I'm not trying to stir up trouble here. I'm just always a bit thrown when, in the immediate aftermath of some event which makes us feel like either God's out to get us or He's not doing His job as well as He can, we all still get together and continue to ask Him for help. I know, I know, it makes us feel better to do this and bonds us as a community, but if that's the case, shouldn't we get together and pray to the rescue workers and the relief organizations and whoever else actually did some real tangible work in helping those who were directly affected by whatever disaster it was that God just let our world go through?

I'm not sure, but I have a feeling I'll still be thinking about it on our upcoming day of prayer.