Shaken
Author: Dana L. Williams (Washington, US)
The shaking woke us. First a lurch, then a shift—our house and all within began to sway in the powerful earthquake. When it stopped, we waited with the rest of the city for the radio announcer’s comforting words, ‘All is well. The worst is over.’ We didn’t stop to wonder why there had been an earthquake, because we knew that living in California meant that we would experience earthquakes once in a while.
Around the same time, our family suffered a devastating job loss that shook our sense of security. And this time, no announcer was there to tell us the worst was over. All we could do was to hang on to God’s promises with each lurch and shift.
‘Why?’ is often our first response when our world is shaken. Why did this happen to me? Why can’t I find a job? Why am I ill? Why? But can we really expect our valleys to fill, our mountains and hills to bow low; and our crooked places to be straight and smooth without some shaking?
Instead of asking ‘Why?’ in life’s earthquakes, a better response might be, ‘Help me see the salvation of God during the shaking.’
Prayer: Dear God, help us to see your salvation and feel your presence in each moment of each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen