On Tuesday afternoon, I was sitting in my house, reading for my next major school paper...when I felt a tremor. For about 15 seconds, I was aware of the entire house shaking. Right away, I knew it was an earthquake, and I prayed it would not be a bad one.
The quake of August 23, 2011, was localized in Mineral, VA, and immediately stole the news cycle. Along the eastern seaboard, people poured out of high-rises and evacuated offices. TV interviews portrayed a mild level of panic, and cell phone networks were overwhelmed by the millions checking on the safety of their loved ones. It was a scary event, because it was unseen, uncontrollable, and unexpected - and while damage was relatively light, people pondered what would happen if it occurred again.
It has been a month of feeling as if the foundations have been shaken - and not just by an earthquake. The global economy is roiling like storm-tossed waves, violence and bloodshed continue in Libya, Syria, and Afghanistan, and the arrival of the presidential campaign season in earnest has lowered the general tone of public debate to the level of snarling and posturing. To top it off, an actual hurricane threatens landfall this weekend. What are we to do in the midst of such storms - physical, metaphorical, and potential?
I remind myself today to look to the words of an anonymous writer from ancient days: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though 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." (Psalm 46:1-3)
Life is full of troubles, big and small, expected and unforseen. Yet we can trust in a God who loves us and weathers life's storms with us. Even when the earth shakes, God is a solid foundation we can hold onto.
In Christ,
Adam
The quake of August 23, 2011, was localized in Mineral, VA, and immediately stole the news cycle. Along the eastern seaboard, people poured out of high-rises and evacuated offices. TV interviews portrayed a mild level of panic, and cell phone networks were overwhelmed by the millions checking on the safety of their loved ones. It was a scary event, because it was unseen, uncontrollable, and unexpected - and while damage was relatively light, people pondered what would happen if it occurred again.
It has been a month of feeling as if the foundations have been shaken - and not just by an earthquake. The global economy is roiling like storm-tossed waves, violence and bloodshed continue in Libya, Syria, and Afghanistan, and the arrival of the presidential campaign season in earnest has lowered the general tone of public debate to the level of snarling and posturing. To top it off, an actual hurricane threatens landfall this weekend. What are we to do in the midst of such storms - physical, metaphorical, and potential?
I remind myself today to look to the words of an anonymous writer from ancient days: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though 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." (Psalm 46:1-3)
Life is full of troubles, big and small, expected and unforseen. Yet we can trust in a God who loves us and weathers life's storms with us. Even when the earth shakes, God is a solid foundation we can hold onto.
In Christ,
Adam
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