A Lot Of Shaking Going On

O

n February 28, 2001 an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richer scale shook the city of Seattle Washington.  There was extensive damage in several areas of the city and several thousand people were without power.  There were minor injuries and at least one fatality due to the quake, but it could have been much, much worse.

At times like these, people seem to ask very difficult questions.  Where is God when things like this happen?  Why does he allow innocent people to die or become injured? These are all good questions, but ones which have no immediate answers. However, I believe the real tragedy lies in the fact that people only seem to concern themselves with God's existence when catastrophic events occur. Yet, they only speak about his unwillingness to stop these events from happening. Rarely, if ever, do they stop and thank him for his protection and guidance on a daily basis.

Did you realize that earthquakes happen every day?  Perhaps not on a global scale, but certainly on an individual one. Emotional crises, financial difficulties, relationship problems, illnesses, -- all of these rock our world.  It seems that our very foundations are shaken and we experience great turmoil and upheaval in our lives.

The writer of Psalm 43, from where we take our text today, seems to understand what it feels like when the underpinning of life collapses. When everything we hold dear, and all we deem important is torn from us, what is left to hold on to?  The Psalmist's answer is clear and confident.  We hold on to God. 

In the opening verse of this Psalm he writes, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." (Psalm 43:1) Not only does God provide shelter and safety during the cares of life, he is always near us. The writer continues his praise by saying "Therefore, we will not fear, thought the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah."

There is that word again, Selah, meaning stop and think about what has been said.  When everything goes wrong, when the foundations are shaken, when everything falls away from us, our God stands. He is with us and he is for us. Though everything known to us collapses, God remains and because he remains, his promises always hold true.

As the people of Seattle began putting their lives and their city back together, they provided an example of a great biblical truth. At any moment our lives can be altered and changed. We never know what may come our way. However, we do know that God remains unchanged and his love for us is unalterable.  "Therefore, we will not fear because the "Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress." Selah!!