www.bible.com/1713/isa.54.10.csb
I’ve not seen many earthquakes. In fact, I could count them on one hand. When I was growing up in Indiana my hometown was subject to a minor earth tremor from the Midwest faultline in Missouri. It shook the house, but at the time I thought someone was in the next room jumping up and down. Dad said there was a crack in the foundation after it was over. Since then, I’ve not really worried about earthquakes.
Then I find out last week that California had another earthquake. For them, according to a friend at church who grew up out there, it is an everyday occurrence. It’s kind of a ho-hum moment for them unless it gets up in the 5-7 range. They’re all worried about the really big one. Everyone says its coming, but no one knows when.
So when reading this verse today, it seems that earthquakes were more of a problem for Israelites than they are for me in middle America. But I have had a few events in my life that rocked my world, like the birth of my children, losing a job, getting married, moving into a new house, buying a new car. These kinds of major changes, both good and bad, change everything.
The biggest story around here recently was the West Liberty tornado in 2012. It destroyed whole buildings, flattening the downtown. People were described as moving around like zombies, homes gone, the family dispersed to who knows where. It took a lot of time to get the community back on its feet. We live on a thin veneer of civilization. If you remove one thing, like electricity, the whole world can change in just a few hours. You wouldn’t be reading this without electricity.
But what God promises here is a transcendent peace beyond all circumstances. If the world is shaken, or your world is rocked, the peace of the Lord will remain. Nothing in this world can shake loose the love of God on your soul. God doesn’t care what your finances look like, how well-off you are, or what you can offer Him. You already have everything He wants from you. Were you jobless, homeless, or friendless, God would still want you. God will still love you. God has made a covenant of peace with you, not based on your net worth, but on your faith.
Do you believe in this God of mine? Does He still make you tremble when you realize all He endured to bring you to Himself? I want you to know Him too. I want you in on this little secret. He loves you and has given everything, the most valuable gift He would give, His own Son. He sacrificed everything to make you His. Would you join this covenant of peace?
Meritt Musings 