TREMOURS

an email i received from my mom while i was in Japan:
hi nui nui,
i'm glad to hear that you are ok. i know who makes earthquakes and who makes you.
love,
mom

i thank God for a mother who knows that her job is not to worry about her daughter, but rather to trust in the One who gave her life in the first place.

during our first monday in Yamagata, i experienced my first earthquake. it turned out to be 4-point-something on the richter scale. [correction: it was a 7 on the richter scale, but it was centered in the ocean so we felt it less strongly.] since i'd never been through one before, i found it a fascinating sensation. but what was even more fascinating was the way God used the earthquake to show His sovereignty.

that night, God not only shook the ground, but the hearts of some of the Japanese people as well. some of my teammates were stuck in the subway for two hours, during which they were able to bring joy and peace to the hearts of the people around them by talking to them and playing games. our team in Yamagata was able to share the gospel with a number of students that night. and perhaps the most amusing of all, some of my other teammates had just finished singing "show Your power, O Lord our God!" when the earth literally shook.

having the earth shift beneath your feet is a disconcerting feeling. but what a contrast it is to the steadfast faithfulness of God, whose promises never fail!

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
~Psalm 46:1-3~