Living in a world that is hit often by “natural calamity”, we ought to spiritually and emotionally prepare. With three earthquakes in Indonesia this week and tropical hurricanes devastating the Caribbean and many ugly memories of Katrina, we are vulnerable to these natural powers.
It is almost funny to hear people discuss “earthquake proof” buildings or bridges; there is no such thing. Nature always wins.
When a calamity strikes, many become apocalyptic in their thinking, that is, thinking the end of the world is near. After the crisis passes, so does that kind of “end-time’ thinking. A healthier view would be to do a spiritual inventory now to help your thinking to remain clear when calamity comes. For instance, how important to you is your house and material possessions? Could you live joyfully if suddenly you lost all of your stuff?
The Bible says that “life does not consist of the abundance of things possessed.” (Luke 12:15)
What about the people in your life? Could you deal with their death or their injury? Do you ever think, “I couldn’t live without this person?” Abraham had to deal with that when pondering the death of his son, Isaac. (Genesis 22:6ff)
Television interviews after a calamity always have people weeping profusely while saying, “I have lost everything.” I do not deny the sense of loss or bad feelings when a precious item is gone. My question is, how much can I live without?
Job handled his calamity by saying, “The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21) He was able to experience victory in calamity because of a faith fixed on God. God said, “Heaven and earth may pass away, but my Word will never pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) Anchor your life NOW on what can never be shaken by calamity
“Thank God that no calamity in this world can separate us, even for a moment,
from God’s wonderful love and care. Amen”
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