SUDDENLY THERE WAS A GREAT EARTHQUAKE

Some years ago, I was given some very bad and unexpected news.  It was the type of news that was life altering, but not life threatening.  It affected only my job, not my health.  I must admit that I was shaken by the news, and by what it meant for myself and my family.  I thank God for fellow Christians - for family and for friends - who brought comforting and faith-inspiring words to me.  Most of all, I thank God for speaking to me in a personal way.  In my initial shock, He led me to two verses in the 16th chapter of Acts.  "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.  And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed." (Acts 16:25, 26).

 

I have read these verses many times before, and even expounded on them frequently.  I know the importance of prayer and of praise in my life when things are difficult.  I know the importance of vocalizing my praise so that others who may be bound may find hope also.  I am even confident in the Lord's ability to open prison doors, and His willingness to loosen the shackles of bondage that I sometimes find myself in.  What I had never focused on before was the vehicle that God used to affect this deliverance in Paul’s and Silas' lives. 

 

An earthquake is a fearsome thing.  It shakes structures and objects that seem immoveable to their very foundations, and can topple them to the ground.  It can cause rivers to flow backwards.  The 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan in March of 2011 moved the entire island of Honshu 2.4 meters and changed the earth's structure such that it shortened the length of the days by almost 2 milliseconds.  The earthquake that hit the east coast of the U.S. in the same year measured 5.9 on the Richter Scale and was felt from Georgia to Ottawa, Canada. 

 

It was this very phenomenon, however, that God used to set His servants free.  I can't imagine that Paul or Silas expected that God would answer in such a way.  I'm sure that they, too, were fearful at first, and may have questioned what was happening.  What God spoke to me was that He sometimes uses the earthquakes in our lives (both major and minor) to shake things up; and while they might be fearful for us at first, and even destructive to certain things in our lives, their ultimate purpose is to set us free and draw us closer to Him.  What the earthquake destroys may be something that we may never have let go of on our own.  Suddenly, I realized that God has something else planned for my life that is going to grant me a greater freedom to serve and to minister.  There may be a “jailer” out there who needs to hear my testimony!

 

It is not the earthquake that we should focus on.  It is what God is speaking to us through the earthquake, and as a result of it.  In 1 Kings chapter 19, the prophet Elijah is complaining about being the only true prophet left in Israel, and how everyone was seeking his life.  The Lord spoke to him and said, "Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD.   And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:  and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice." (1 Kings 19:1, 12). 

 

Discovering how to hear the still, small voice of God is what every child of God must learn.  We focus our attention on the seemingly negative things that enter our lives - the winds, the fires, and the earthquakes - and miss totally what God wants to say to us.  If we believe that "all things work together for good" to us who are called, then we must believe that there is purpose in even the storms and catastrophes of life.  And there is not a life lived that is free from all troubles.  "But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine.  When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.  For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour." (Isaiah 43:1-3).  The prophet says when we pass through the water, and walk through the fire, not if. 

 

So, I know that my God is with me, and that He is going to bless me in ways that I have not looked for before.  Sometimes I will have to endure sufferings, temptations, tests and trials, but the Lord means them for good, and He will never lead me to places where He has not already been and secured the victory.  The Apostle reminds us, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps.” (1 Peter 2:21).  I am thankful, and forever grateful, that He has hold of my hand, and will forever lead me gently in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.  He is my Master, He is my Lord and King, He is my Savior, and I love Him.