"Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord"

We read this verse in Psalm 114 today in morning devotions at the Christian school. How appropriate in light of recent occurrences. The verse in it’s entirely reads as follows: 

“Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob”

Speaking of trembling, I felt my first earthquake the other night. I was laying in bed, counting sheep and whatnot, and all of a sudden I began to involuntarily sway. Not a whole lot, it was very subtle, but I could hear my dresser and shelves shaking, and there was definite motion, almost like gentle waves aboard a deep sea vessel. Within seconds it was all over, and life was back to normal; however, for that split second of confusion, I felt so helpless, so out of control. There was nothing I could’ve done to change my circumstances. I can’t even imagine what it would have been like to experience such a devastating earthquake similar to the one that just happened. Here, earthquakes are a part of daily life, and the Japanese can detect them and their magnitude so accurately. They’ve come up with an iphone application for earthquakes here that displays each one with its level of severity. Yep, there is even an app for that! 

One of my students today was showing the class pictures she took when she went up north and saw some of the damage. It was sobering to see entire houses gone and schools destroyed. There was one picture of a rice field strewn with debris including a boat and a refrigerator. I hope to get the opportunity to travel up there and see firsthand what people are dealing with. But I hope more than anything that through this the people of Japan will see God. That they would feel his presence, and turn to him for comfort and support, realizing how empty and alone life without him is. Just even in those few seconds of my earthquake encounter, I found myself whispering a prayer, knowing full well that my heavenly father was holding me in the palm of his hand. That’s what I want for the people here. Please continue praying for the Japanese, and pray for the girl who is ministering to them, for she desperately needs her Savior.