Quakes That Shake

QUAKES THAT SHAKE

Psalm 46:1-3

INTRO.- Quakes that shake.

ILL.- A pretty big one shook Redmond, Washington, and the surrounding area last Wednesday, Feb. 28, near 11 a.m. The quake measured 6.8 on the Ricther scale and caused over $2 billion worth of damage, and injured about 410 people.

It was the most powerful quake to hit the state of Washington in 52 years.

ILL.- Bonita Menendez of Federal Way, WA, said, “I was in the housewares department of a local department store when I heard a rumbling, then things just started flying off the shelves. I yelled, ‘Earthquake!’ and started running to get away from the glass. You can always tell who is from California — they’re the first ones out the door in an earthquake.”

That earthquake was bad enough, but could have been a lot worse.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST EARTHQUAKE EVER? The biggest earthquake ever recorded hit Chile on May 22, 1960, and measured 9.5.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST EARTHQUAKE IN THE U.S.? The biggest quake ever record hit Alaska on March 28, 1964 and measured 9.2. It was also the second largest in the world.

It’s a good thing it didn’t hit central Illinois or there would have been a whole lot more devastation and destruction than what happened in Alaska.

Quakes that shake. Quakes shake people up. They unnerve us. They cause fear and panic. Earthquakes are not the only kind of quakes that shake us up.

ILL.- There was a certain doctor who had a problem with a leak in his bathroom that just kept getting worse and worse. And finally, at 2 a.m. the doctor called his plumber.

“For Peter’s sake, Doc,” said the plumber, “This is not the time to be calling about a plumbing problem!”

“Well,” the doctor said sarcastically, “you’ve never hesitated to call me in the middle of the night when you’ve had a medical problem. Now it just happens that I’ve got a plumbing emergency.”

There was a moment’s silence and then the plumber said, “Well, you are right about that Doc. What’s the problem?” Then the doctor explained about the leak in his bathroom.

“Tell you what you do,” the plumber said. “Take two aspirins every four hours and drop them down the drain. If the leak doesn’t stop by morning, then call me at the office.”

Plumbing problems. Quakes that shake.

Brethren, a plumbing problem would be considered by most people as a minor quake. Perhaps a .5 on the Ricther scale.

But there are many things that do happen to us in life that could be considered as “major quakes,” which really shake us up. Maybe a 7.5 or higher on the Ricther scale.

ILL.- Dr. Thomas Holmes did some research in the matter of human stress. He published what is called the “stress test.”

- The death of a spouse rated 100 points. Major quake.

- Divorce rated 73 points. Another major quake.

- Marital separation 65 points.

- Death of a family member 63 points.

- Getting fired from your job 47 points.

- Health decline 44 points.

- Financial difficulties 39 points.

- Death of a close friend 37 points.

- Change in job 36 points.

- Arguments with spouse 35 points.

Quakes that shake. Or stress that messes with our hearts and our heads.

All of us experience stress. All of us experience quakes that shake us up. And we have to learn how to deal with them or else they will deal with us. They will do a number on us and leave us in bad shape mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and sometimes physically.

How do we respond to the quakes that hit our lives? Some people get very angry. Others get very cynical. Some get down and depressed. Still others run away, but smart people run to the Lord.

Ps. 121:1-2 “I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

When troubles or quakes come into our lives some people don’t know where to go for help. They don’t know what to do or where to turn.

And I contend that the right thing to do is to turn to the Lord! Always and in everything!

Ps. 46:1-2 “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...”

God, our Creator and Heavenly Father, is our helper and our strength in life! He is our helper when we’re faced with both minor and major quakes! And when we’re faced with earthly quakes and spiritual quakes!

This Scripture doesn’t need to be interpreted. It needs to be trusted. Believed in. Counted on. Taken to the bank.