John Guillaumier (The Sunday Times, May 18) asked why "God is nowhere to be seen during cyclones, hurricanes, earthquakes, or the tsunami, when thousands of men, women and children have perished/died in an impersonal manner; in an impersonal universe."

So his point was: Does God control natural disasters such as the devastating tsunami, earthquakes, floods, etc... that would kill millions of people? I cannot understand how one can state that "no guardian angel came forward to save any of the little children and why no miracles occurred?" But, I ask, why did the Myanmar (Burma) military government fail to accept the warning or took proper precaution to safeguard people, when Indian meteorologists in New Delhi tracked the cyclone's path more than 48 hours before it hit the country? In a report it stated that "there was enough time to take all the precautionary measures such as the evacuation of the people."

Unfortunately Myanmar's military rulers failed to take their warning and left thousands, if not millions of people failed to take cover or any necessary precaution. The Burmese government also failed to accept outside help - so why does one blame God?

It is good to remember that people living in biblical times had little doubt that God was responsible for every turn of events in the natural world, whether it be drought, or floods, earthquakes, wind or fire (see Isaiah 43:2).

It is also true that cyclones hit Asian countries, not because God has a habit of punishing the Eastern coast every September, but because the prevailing winds, ocean currents and frontal zones combine in ways that make tropical storms more likely in late summer or early autumn. This also applies to earthquakes and heavy rains.

Therefore, the 2004 tsunami came about not because God wanted to punish people in that region, but because of shifts in tectonic plates beneath the surface of the sea. For example, scientists have found evidence that strong earthquakes can cause a nearly immediate increase in the activity of volcanoes nearby. According to evidence discovered in 2005, it was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake which triggered the deadly tsunami in the Indian Ocean. That earthquake later was found to have caused a series of minor earthquakes underneath a volcano in Alaska.

Most earthquakes occur along the edges of tectonic plates, where most volcanoes are found. However, most earthquakes are also caused by the interaction of the plates, not the movement of magma. Therefore, the magma exerts pressure on the rocks until it cracks them, squirts into the cracks and starts building pressure again, until it causes minor earthquakes. So once the plumbing system of the volcano is open, the magma flows through it causing the quake waves which are called harmonic tremors (recorded, not felt). And who is harming the environment?

According to the Bible, "Nations will go to war against nations... there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come" (Matthew, 24: 6-8). So God does not use the forces of nature; God will be with the victims of such disasters.