Lighthouse painting by derekcollins


I'm writing this just a few days after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan that also effected other areas of the globe. Not long ago New Zealand had an earthquake. A year prior was the killer one in Haiti. I just went to a website called USGS - Earthquake HazardsProgram which stated that in the last 7 days there have been 507 earthquakes. I think what makes earthquakes so scary is that they shake the very ground that you walk on. I don't know about you but I rarely worry as I walk that the earth may be pulled out from under me... that buildings may crumble around me.

I like the illusion of being safe... of my world being secure. I was walking outside the other day and thinking how blessed I am to live a mundane peaceful life. Our world is not a world of peace. It is of turmoil, warfare, disease, floods, tsunamis and earthquakes. In a matter of minutes my world could change. All it would take is a fire, storm or an earthquake. All I own could be gone. My loved ones could be gone. Life as I know it today could be gone. If I did not put my trust in God, I think I may want to curl up in my bed, read some sappy fiction and get lost in another world.

The same with the spiritual world. It could all crumble around you when some unexpected tragedy quakes your life or you get lost in the monetary things of the world. Without even realizing it, we can shift our focus from God to the things that fill a superficial desire. Maybe it is decorating your home, collecting items, clothes, jewelry or our pets. None of those things are wrong but when we shift our focus from God to anything else... tragedy or things of the world... we can loose our footing. Little tiny earthquakes can shift us in other directions without us even totally realizing it until one day we wonder where is God?

Come near to God and he will come near to you.
James 4:8

That is why it is so important to keep our focus on the Lord. He tells us to meditate on His word day and night. This was not always easy for me and I must admit that there are times I have to get recentered, refocused on the Lord. I found that prayer, meditating on the Word of God and focusing on Him is like exercise. You need to practice and strengthen yourself for it to be effective. If I were to get the urge to lift weights for my workout, I would not start with hundred and fifty pounds it would be more than I could handle and I would get discouraged. (Don't worry I have no urge to lift weights...no muscle strain going to happen here!)
With prayer it is often the same. We start by wanting to hit the heavy weights and get discouraged or think this is a waste of timeI . We may feel that like we are not getting anything out of it. God commands us to pray and does not promise it will "feel good". (I personally think it does.) If we start simple and practice... we will be amazed at how God honors that and grow in the depth of our relationship with Him.

That is how we stay secure in an ever changing world that is filled with uncertainty... filled with shifting ground. We build our foundation on the Rock of Jesus Christ. Then we put God's word into practice... and we need to practice and practice to constantly strengthen our relationship in order that we may weather the storms and hold firm in the earthquakes in life.

I wish to encourage you to be in prayer for this latest tragedy in Japan. I can't imagine how the devastation must be effecting them. Pray that they may find the steady foundation that is in Christ during this traumatic time.




Lampwork earrings by eversoDear



















Scripture verses card by mingogardens
















Scripture photo by InspiringInterludes

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