That God Might be Glorified Through Us
A Different Kind of Prophetic Voice
Nothing is Impossible with God
The Fulfillment of Worthy Work
The American Standard of Living
Only That Which Is Given From Heaven
Human Efforts -- Human Results
“When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm.” Psalm 75:3
When the ground beneath your feet begins to shake, call on your god and see if you receive an answer. The true test of any god is this: does your god answer when you cry out? Does your god comfort you in the late watches of the night when you are alone and afraid? Is your god able to hold things together when all around you gives way? Is your god able to part the sea and make a way where there is no way? Can your god miraculously deliver you in times of peril? Is your god one who can heal you and make you whole? It was Elijah who challenged the prophets of Baal, “You call on the name of your god and I will call on the Name of the Lord. The God who answers will be God.” (1 Kings 18:24) Is your god real or simply the creation of human imagination?
There is no religion, spiritualism, philosophy, or ritual which can save you in the day of trouble. It is not a matter of one religion being preferable to another or which one is right. It is matter of whose god is real and which one has the power to hold things together when they seem about to break apart. Those who trust in false gods will be utterly dismayed and undone when the ground begins to shake. “Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel, feet but cannot walk nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them and so will all who trust in them.” (Psalm 115:4-8) There are not enough investment strategies, security systems, medications or health care plans to hold us up when the ground truly begins to shake. There is no time for a religious debate when the foundation begins to move.
According to the International Federation of Red Cross the 7.8 magnitude earthquake which devastated the south-western province of Sichuan, China, on May 12 has left more than 32,400 dead, 220,100 injured, and 4.8 million people homeless. I remember being in a minor earthquake in Southern California several years ago. The hotel in which I was staying began to sway. It is, to say the least, disconcerting when you wonder where you can run when there is no place to run. The ground shakes for a variety of reasons – not all of them earthquakes. When the doctor comes in and says, “We have found something in you that concerns us,” the ground beneath your feet begins to quake. When the boss comes in and says, “We have to let you go,” you can literally hear the sound of your heart beating as the shock rocks your world. When the phone rings in the middle of the night and it is about one of your children you forget how to breathe. When the darkness closes in around you and hope disappears, who will keep you from falling into the abyss?
One of my first open-water SCUBA dives was off the coast of the Bahamas. It was what is called a “wall dive” which entails cruising along a sea wall, usually remaining level at a depth of around 80-100 feet, enjoying the marine life on the wall and the fish swimming around you. This particular dive was along a very steep slope which I was told went down beyond 6,500 feet. I am not afraid of heights, but as I looked down, I saw the ocean below me fade into the dark depths and imagined myself falling without anything beneath me to hold me up. It was not a pleasant thought. No one who has been in an emotional, relational, spiritual, economic, or professional free-fall wants to repeat the experience.
When the ground truly shakes, however, it will not be an individual event. Do we really presume that the economic structures of this country are sufficient to hold it together in a time of national calamity? When politicians use the phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid,” they are doing more than articulating the most important election year issue; they are shining light on the god of this nation. As long as the economy is relatively stable, the American people will put up with most anything. Should the ground around Wall Street begin to shake, however, we will see unprecedented anarchical behavior. Surely one could not be so naïve as to believe that innate human sensibilities will hold this world together.
Jesus Christ is not the figurehead of an ancient religion nor is he a lifeless icon. He is the risen Lord and King of all creation. He is the Anointed One in whom God has placed His trust. Even the winds and waves obey Him. The Kingdom is His and in time all thing in heaven and earth will be united together under His glorious reign. The Bible talks about our receiving this kingdom which cannot be shaken. “At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’” (Hebrews 12:26) When the shaking is complete, only that which cannot be shaken will remain. Whatever you put your ultimate trust in is your god. Put your stock in a God who is real. Trust Christ, the author and finisher of our faith – the One who is before all things and in whom all things are held together. (Colossians 1:17) He is the One who will answer when you call.