[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during February 2023]
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. Matthew 24 v7 [NKJV]
The recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria have reminded us once again of the frailty of human life and the risks that we face every day. In the period since then we have heard of more earthquakes in other parts of the world including New Zealand, south-east Europe and even closer to home.
The images on our screens show rescuers scrabbling through the ruins in the hope of finding more survivors. These images have evoked a world-wide reaction with many people stirred into wanting to help in some way. In Turkey and Syria assistance and aid has arrived from many countries, including from nations that are not normally friendly towards the two countries affected. Sweden is in dispute with Turkey over NATO membership, Russia is involved in a civil war in Syria, Ukrainians have their own need to recover people from collapsed buildings yet they are each amongst some 90 countries which have offered help. Will the interaction of individuals on the ground affect their leaders’ political ambitions once the dust settles?
In a predominately Muslin society disasters of this type are often considered to be the ‘will of Allah’; other people will ascribe these events to ‘fate’. Are we tempted to blame God for causing them in order to ‘teach mankind a lesson’? Elijah’s experience suggests otherwise:
… there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 1 Kings 19:11 [NIVUK]
Having said that, there are occasions when God has used earthquakes. In the prophecies of Amos, Zechariah and Ezekiel we read of an earthquake in parts of Israel and Lebanon in around 760BC. Amos in particular associates this earthquake with God’s judgement on several sinful nations, including Israel and Judah.
In Matthew’s account of Christ’s crucifixion we read that ‘the earth shook, the rocks split’; later we see another earthquake as the stone was rolled away from his tomb. God used an earthquake to release Paul and Silas from prison in Philippi, resulting in the conversion of the jailer and his family.[1]
For many years, Christians have associated earthquakes and other natural disasters with the onset of the ‘end times’. This association is reinforced by several mentions of earthquakes in the book of Revelation and now we are 2,000 years closer to the fulfilment of John’s vision. Does the apparent increase in the frequency of these events shake our faith in God? Jesus himself warned against anxiety and speculation:
You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Matthew 24 v6 [NIVUK]
We may not be required to dig through the rubble of a collapsed building but we will all face challenges of a greater or lesser nature. How do we react in the heat of those challenges? Will our faith in God stand up to the test; will we doubt the security of our foundation or will we be stirred into a closer relationship with him? It may be helpful to recall the words of John Greenleaf Whittier written in 1872:
Breathe through the heats of our desire thy coolness and thy balm;
let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm!
Resources:
[1] Matthew 27 v54, Matthew 28 v2, Acts 16 v26
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author
Thank you Steve for a timely reflection during another earthquake in the Middle East.
An interesting, helpful and thought provoking reflection.