In December, 2001, I was in a 7.6 earthquake in El Salvador. Many people died all around me. Thankfully; I was not inside a building but was outside in the country and did not have to fear being crushed by falling objects.
For weeks afterwards, people lived in the streets under makeshift tents because of the tremors. Watching them survive such a catastrophe was a life-changing experience. They knew to have a plan for such an event-a solid foundation was a must and they had to seek proper shelter. Buildings that weren't up to code fell apart, but those with proper structure withstood the shaking and actually moved with the earth's rocking.
As I look back on my experience, I can glean spiritual lessons from this time.
Very few of us will ever face the physical disaster of an earthquake, but all of us will face emotional earthquakes in our lives. The worst emotional earthquakes are in December, which is supposed to be the most joyous time of the year.
Some of these quakes will shake us to the core and can destroy our very will to live if we don't have a solid foundation. What do we do when our loved one dies, when loneliness and fear suffocate us, or when we are controlled by addictions that are ruining our relationships, our health and our ability to support ourselves?
Like the people in El Salvador, we need to have a solid foundation that can hold us up during these times of life. Christ is the One who can strengthen us, settle us and establish us when we feel trapped and don't know what to do. He promises peace, when we take our burdens to Him (Matthew 11:28).
The Lord Jesus is not only the Rock of Ages who can hold us up during a crisis. He is also the Savior for sinners. He is the One who can shelter us from God's wrath, which is far worse than any emotional or physical earthquake we can face during our time on earth.
The Lord Jesus suffered God's anger for all of our wrongdoings. Every time we acted in selfishness and rebellion by disobeying God's Word, He took the blow from God at the cross for us (1Peter 2:24). He knew all about our sins before we even were born, and He still loved us! He came to pay the price of death so that we can be set free from fear and guilt.
Jesus came to die so that we could really live and not be controlled by loneliness, addictions and sorrow. Satan wants to destroy your life, but God wants to save it (John 10:10)!
When life shakes us to the core, where do we turn? If we turn to the Lord and let Him take control of our lives and trust His Son as Savior, He promises to be our shelter and our strength so that we don't have to face this life alone (Psalm 18:2-3).
Sometimes it takes an earthquake in our lives to motivate us to acknowledge Him and bow down to Him. Our Lord wants your attention. He wants to give you real life down here that leads all the way to heaven! Without Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will have to suffer judgment for your sins for all of eternity. He is thinking of your eternal comfort, and if a little bit of temporary pain leads us to the Savior, it is worth it! Won't you go to Him now? Listen to His words:
Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV) says, "Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."
Is there an earthquake in your life? "Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other" (Isaiah 45:22, ESV).
Becky Kew shares Good News at Sandy Bay First Nation, Manitoba, Canada. BeckyKew@outlook.com
