Earthquake!

At 1:51 pm yesterday afternoon, I sensed a low rumble just below what my ears could detect. It intensified. Then the ground began to vibrate. A passing truck? The vibrations turned into rough shaking. A really big truck?

Then it hit me… an earthquake! I recognized the feeling from a smaller one we had experienced earlier this summer – a rare occurrence in Maryland.

I waited a few seconds to see if the tremors would pass. But then my bedroom on the third story of my house really started to wobble.  I ran into the hallway and downstairs to join my family on the first floor.

Later I heard that the 5.9-magnitude earthquake had only lasted about 15 seconds. But those seconds seemed stretched into minutes. I’ll never forget the feeling of utter helplessness at the knowledge that I could do absolutely nothing to stop what was going to happen. It felt like a giant hand was shaking the ground on which I stood, and whether the quake slowed or got worse was not my decision.

Just like a lot of things, actually. Divorce can feel just like that earthquake. Your whole world is shaking apart, and yet you can’t change anything about the situation. But God has something to say about uncertainty. Psalm 56:3-4 says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”

Let me tell you, I was definitely praying yesterday afternoon as the walls of my house shook around me. Will you pray about your similar circumstances? Entrust yourself to God and feel the comfort of knowing that you are in the shelter of His arms.