Earthquake!

It is written in the canonized Bible that the Lord Jesus Christ himself said: “… Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name. And Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that ye be not troubled; for all these things shall come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matt. 24:4-8 KJV).

Last week an earthquake of the magnitude of 7.2 devastated the Islands of Cebu and Bohol, Philippines, wherein several hundreds died and were wounded, and buildings and houses collapsed and many houses were destroyed. Even old historical churches established by the occupying Spaniards in the fourteenth century were not spared.

There were similar devastating earthquakes that struck other nations in diverse places before, which prove that the Bible is really true. Indeed, our God is strong enough to shake diverse places in this world.

We who know Him as our heavenly Father through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, can also find comfort and courage in threatening circumstances like these. We are in the hands of One who is all-powerful and all-knowing. Nothing is too strong or hard for Him to control. But He is able to care for and protect His own no matter what happens, for “with God all things are possible and with Him nothing is impossible” (Luke 1:37; 18:27).

In those life-threatening situations, we who are children of God and are trusting in the Lord can experience a deep, settled peace as we relax in the everlasting arms of our all-powerful God. Who can be our refuge and savior? Only God himself. Like the psalmist King David, we, too, can say, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust” (Ps. 18:2 KJV). He is the great and all-powerful God who can shake the world in His time and at anytime without further notice, as the notice was already given by God through His only begotten Son long before.

When the world around us is crumbling, God alone is the rock on which we, the believers, can cling to and trust our soul. It might be the end of our earthly life, but for the believer, it will be the beginning of an eternal life that God had promised: “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5). Let us trust fully what our God had promised in His Word, for His Word is Truth.