The Earth quaked quite a bit recently. It began with 2 earthquakes in Oklahoma City, Ok, yesterday and last night, November 5, 2011. Then, this morning, a mudslide occurred in Columbia.
The latest quake in Oklahoma registered 5.6 on the Richter Scale and was the largest ever recorded in that state. It was felt all across the Midwest and the South, from North Texas all the way up to Northern Kansas, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
A couple of weeks ago, we had a small tremor of the Earth in Texas. I was sitting in my bed praying, and the lamp shade shook lightly. Then the bed moved as if it was being lifted from underneath, and while I was processing what was happening (a matter of seconds), the pens in a glass tinkled across the room. I have never felt an earthquake, but I did that day.
We do not live on a fault line; there is one several hundred miles south of us, but the last earthquake was in a similar location about 50 miles from us a couple of years ago.
It turned out that there was an earthquake of about 4.7 on the Richter Scale that morning. Then, late in the hurricane season, one arrives in the coastal waters off of Central America.
2011 has been quite a year.
I know I keep saying it, but I also hear predictions that we will see more of this in 2012. Why? I am not sure. There are some that come up with numerology, and others read the geological signs.
The funny thing is, that no one knows why in the world Oklahoma just began having numerous earthquakes in the year 2009. They had about 42 in that year, and an increase of quakes since then. The US Geological Service finally set up a station in Norman.
Then, don’t forget about the earthquake that occurred in Washington D.C. this summer, which shook the foundations of the Washington National Monument and The National Cathedral. It closed both facilities down. Then, weeks later, a hurricane strikes the Virginia coast, creating more distress. I am sure it was a reaction to the shaking of the Earth.
Although much smaller, the Texas earthquake was similar to this one, and we wonder what ocean weather the Oklahoma earthquake will bring. As you know, earthquakes have not been the only natural disaster of this year.
The Lord is calling us to walk in faith.
He wants us to pray! The Spirit gives us trials and tribulations, but as Christians, they push us to the Almighty God, and we still stand. The unrighteous, however, will go from bad to worse, never coming to the truth.
Think of Lot and Noah (Genesis). Everyone was having one big party during that time; life was grand…and immoral. Then the Lord called two men and their families to another land. God was calling them out to protect them from the curses coming down on Sodom and Gomorrah.
Many people are beginning to understand that we are entering a season that resembles the prophetic descriptions laid out by Jesus in the Bible. Yet, it is a call to prayer and action.
Pray against disaster, pray for your family’s safety, but walk in faith that He will carry you. It does not mean that it has to happen tomorrow, or next year. What it means is that God is calling us to be sold out to Him! Do not listen to fatalism; that is what the devil wants from you.
God is the author of peace.
Sometimes we find ourselves trying to ride the fence of our faith in order not to offend. You know? I might offend the Muslim, the Buddhist, etc. if I say that I believe in Jesus Christ. The Lord is calling us to stand firm; we cannot just go against our faith for the sake of “keeping the peace.” That is not true peace!
Eventually, the truth has to come out, because the fence will fall down one way or the other. It is oh, so easy, to ride the fence until you are the one in the middle of a crisis. You will have to take a stand one way or the other.
Further, we read God’s Word and decide that the Bible no longer applies to our modern-day society. We decide that it is no longer the truth because times have changed. The problem with that kind of thinking is that we are taking His Word, word by word legalistically and religiously, and not into our hearts.
Unless we follow the commandments in the Bible in a heartfelt manner, we miss the mark.
Take the earthquake in the Capitol, for instance.
Why did the foundation of the National Cathedral literally roll, in one eyewitness account? Perhaps it is because there is not one mention of the name of Jesus Christ on their website; they follow the people.
You may even think I am being judgmental, but God wants us to stand firm in Him. Based on their website, the National Cathedral desires to include people of all religions and call it a church, walking the line of what our country was founded on---Christianity.
The cathedral caters to all religions and then prays for their idea of peace and harmony. That isn’t our church, the Church of Jesus Christ, but a meeting place of government officials. Truthfully, many Christian churches have tried to walk this line too.
What is the Lord calling us to do?
The Lord is calling us to help out the Body of Christ when She has a spiritual or physical need. We cannot continue to send our brothers and sisters in Christ to outside agencies to carry out the duty that the Lord has called us to do.
He calls us to be the hands and feet of Christ. He calls us to care for widows and orphans. He calls us to feed the poor and needy. He calls us to assist the victims with the love of Christ. If our hearts are tender before Him, He will open up the gateways of provision for all involved.
We must pray and pray some more until we know the way He wants us to go. He has a plan and a purpose for each one of us.
We must pray and pray some more until we know the way He wants us to go. He has a plan and a purpose for each one of us.
Earthquakes, floods, mudslides, and hurricanes strike all upon the Earth, but it is the righteous of the kingdom of God who will stand. Elohim is the creator of the universe and the author of justice; He sent his Son to fulfill the Law that He laid down.
His grace covers Jew and Gentile alike; let us raise our families to follow Him, no matter what the world tells us.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33
But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord...Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:8-9
Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. Matthew 24:42
In His grip~Kim
Originally published on November 6, 2011
