Is God Saying Something To Us?

I don't know when I have ever seen such devastation on a large modern city as that brought about in New Orleans through Hurricane Katrina. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by floodwaters in Mississippi, Alabama and especially Louisianna.
As we were reflecting on this development in church recently, one of the congregants mentioned how he had lived in New Orleans for over fifteen years. At that time, he mentioned that his had been a life of too much alcohol and drugs.
I had heard New Orleans referred to as the "Big Easy" and other designations implying rampant wickedness. He confirmed this. He said that behind the scenes all kinds of evil were being perpetuated. Voodoo, a pagan religion, has flourished there for centuries. Pornography and prostitution were well entrenched in New Orleans. Casino gambling had taken over the city. Their police force could be bought off fairly readily. The divide between the haves and have nots as well as the the whites and the blacks is glaring. At Mardi Gras, all restraint seemed to be abandoned as people indulged wholeheartedly in sin.
As a result of all this evidence, I ask myself, "Was God trying to speak to New Orleans through the widespread destruction of the city?" Even more to the point, is God wanting to speak to many of our big cities and warn us that sin will lead to divine retribution. Most of our big cities are every bit a evil as New Orleans. I think of my own Vancouver which is Canada's suicide capital, AIDS and homosexual
capital as well as drug capital. This city has behind the scenes a thriving kiddie porn industry that is enough to sicken the stomach of any parent or moral adult.
It all reminds me of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible. God warned incessantly and finally His wrath was unleashed. These two cities, known for their homosexuality, were wiped right off the ancient map as fire rained down upon them.
In Isaiah five, God sets forth a series of "woes" in regard to evil:
1. Woe to those who exploit others and dishonestly steal their land and homes (5:8)
2. Woe to those who are addicted to drink or drugs (5:11)
3. Woe to those who take sarcastic pride in sin, outwardly espousing God's way but inwardly going one's own selfish way (5:18)
4. Woe to those who confuse moral values and call wrong right and right wrong (5:20) (For example, look at Canada espousing gay marriages, although they are contrary to the laws of nature and of God!)
5. Woe to the conceited who refuse to acknowledge that they are sinners in God's sight and greatly in need of His forgiveness and cleasing. (5:21)
6. Woe to those who pervert justice under the influence of alcohol or bribes. (5:22-23)
We would do well to perceive what God is trying to say to us through all this. After all, God is merciful, loving and just. When ancient Nineveh sincerely repented in the time of Jonah, God forgave them and relented of the judgment He had promised to bring against them. May God help us to humble ourselves, acknowledge our sin, and turn to Christ, our Saviour, with all our hearts. This could do much to save our cities from God's impending wrath.