Tsunami, Sovereignty, and Mercy - John Piper

God claims power over tsunami's in Job 38:8 when he asks Job rhetorically, “Who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb . . . and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?” Psalm 89:8-9 says, “O Lord . . . You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.” And Jesus himself has the same control today as he once did over the deadly threats of waves: “He . . . rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm” (Luke 8:24). In other words, even if Satan caused the earthquake, God could have stopped the waves...

For children, who are too young to process mentally the revelation of God in nature or Scripture, death is not the final word of judgment. God’s commitment to display his justice publicly means that he does not finally condemn sinful people who could not physically construe natural or special revelation (Romans 1:20). There is a difference between suppressing revelation that one can mentally comprehend (Romans 1:18), and not having a brain sufficient to comprehend it at all. Therefore, when small children suffer and die, we may not assume they are being punished or judged. No matter how horrible the suffering or death, God can turn it for their greater good....

When the Bible says, “Weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15), it does not add, “unless God caused the weeping.” Job’'s comforters would have done better to weep with Job than talk so much. That does not change when we discover that Job’s suffering was ultimately from God. No, it is right to weep with those who suffer. Pain is pain, no matter who causes it. We are all sinners. Empathy flows not from the causes of pain, but the company of pain. And we are all in it together.
Read in it's entirety at Desiring God.

Some people shake their fist at God, others blame Satan. John Piper contends that both are inappropriate responses. When Job lost everything (family, livelihood, and health) he said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). God honored him with his response. Job didn't blame Satan for the trials he was experiencing. All he could do was weep, and trust that God would restore him. I can't relate to what the victims of the tsunami are going through. But I can point them to someone who can. I can weep with them and send support for their relief. But ultimately, apart from God, no amount of human comforting can appease their pain. If you would like to send support, go to World Vision. If you would like to know God, go to Living Waters.