Quakes

October 17th, 2012

It all started last night at 7:35 when a news bulletin popped up on the screen of my phone announcing the earthquake here in New England. The quake was in Maine, so down here on Cape Cod I didn't even feel the tremor, but it left me just a bit wary anyway.

Then, this morning in my women's bible study, Acts 16:25,26 was part of the lesson:

"Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly there was a massive earthquake and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off."

Now, if the instructors were planning this study on a weekly basis themselves, we could see why they might choose this verse today, but our instructors don't choose the content of the lessons. It's a video series planned months ago. The earthquake verse just happened to be in today's lesson. In the video, after reading the verse, Beth Moore said something that's been on my mind all day:

"Sometimes God will allow an earthquake in our life so some chains will come loose."

Sometimes we get so comfortable with our view from where we sit and look at life, we think we're impervious to difficult things. Earthquakes shatter walls and crack things open. Things fall away and change the lay of the land. We have no choice but to accept what is and rebuild.

I'm really glad the other part of the class gave us Psalm 122 to memorize over the next few weeks. I hung it in my kitchen. This is how much I know:

"1 I raise my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? 2 My help comes from The Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your feet to slip, your protector will not slumber."

And so, as another day goes by, it's a good thing I made it to verse three before the quake hit, and …I have written.

PS- If an earthquake hits your life, download this. You'll recognize some words near the end of the song…..