Rock'n and a roll'n

I live in a very small town that's near a larger city and a short distance from our state capitol. In our little town the newspaper is published weekly -- yes, I said weekly. This was the headlines of our little paper this week:

You read it right! We had a 4.4 earthquake last Saturday! No damage was done, thank the Lord. It has been so interesting to hear the various stories of those who experienced it. Some people only experienced the shaking, some felt the shaking and heard rumbling sounds simultaneously.

In our case it was a bit different. Hubs and I were at home: I was in the living room and he was on the patio enjoying some sun. All of a sudden I heard "thunder", except this "thunder" was underground. I could hear it swiftly moving toward the house and my first thought was "Is this an earthquake?", then I braced myself for the possibility of shaking earth. After about 3 or 4 seconds of rumbling, the shaking began and lasted only 2 or 3 seconds, then it was over! I remember a sensation of warmth which in all probability was the warm air in the house shifting as well.

Hubs said he could hear the thunderous sound waves coming toward him, then popping sounds. Following the sounds he saw the fence moving and shaking and the floor beneath his chair began shaking. It was over in a matter of seconds, however, time seemed to slow down and everything was in slow motion - except for the shaking.

Haiti had experienced a terrible earthquake days before. Chile had just had an 8.8 earthquake the very same day! One of many numerous thoughts that flooded my mind was "What is happening to our world? Is it trying to come apart!" Then as quickly as that thought passed, the Lord reminded me that He has it all under control!

What a blessed peace only He can give in the middle of our shaking worlds! We can experience "earthquake" moments that can change our lives forever. Satan desires to shatter and destroy us. God, on the other hand, tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) "'For I know the plans I have for you' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'" God brings restoration and hope in the middle of our life-quakes in place of destruction and despair.

As children of the Most High God we have the assurance that he will never leave us or forsake us. His plan for our lives is perfect and good. When challenges come our way, we can ". . know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28 KJV)

So whenever you are faced with a trial, think of it as a test not a tribulation. Tests are given to assess how much a student has learned. Tests are give for the student to pass -- not pass out!

Love,
Sherry