Hold On!

"Hold on!  Hold on!"  The field supervisor kept yelling.  I held onto the doorframe while he held onto his bouncing desk.  For 28 seconds we held on.  28 seconds which taught me to hold on spiritually too.

It was the Big One.  We'd lived in California for nearly three years and hadn't felt a real earthquake.  There were reports of minor quakes but we never noticed.  On May 2, 1983, at 4:42 pm, there was no doubt we felt this quake.  Eventually they labeled it as a 6.8 on the Richter scale.  The whole downtown collapsed into a pile of rubble.  Home shifted from their foundations.  Cupboards opened and the contents flew out to become rubble.  We lived in an official disaster zone.

As I read the final verses in Micah I noticed he encouraged the Israelites to put their hope in The Lord "as in days long ago." (NIV Micah : 14, 15 and 20).  Micah had told them disaster was coming.  He reminded them of God's deliverance when He led their ancestors out of bondage.  The final words of the book of Micah points to the fulfilled past promises of God to be the foundation of their hope for the coming days.

Hope starts in my past experience with God.  The memory fuels my present experience and propels me into the unknown future.

My memory of life in the disaster zone is one miracle from God after another.  It was a rare occasion for the field supervisor to be in the office at 4:42 pm.  Yet he was there and knew exactly what to do during and after a major earthquake.  Stand in the doorway. (Which I just happened to be when the earth began to shake.)  When the shaking stops, get out of the building and away from potentially falling power lines and buildings. He got us settled standing in the middle of the street.  Then he took off with a big wrench and drove up alleys to turn off gas lines to prevent explosions.  He had been a plumber and served as our mayor.

Was it a coincidence that I was in the safest place when the quake started?  In the doorway with someone who knew exactly what to do?  I think not.  God was in control and keeping watch over me, and many others.

I have  many stories from my time living in the disaster zone.  Memories that have shaped my faith and relationship with God.  Experiences to equip me to face tomorrow and the uncertainty of life.

·         I learned to put my trust in the eternal God, not the shake-able earth and my breakable treasure.

·         I learned that the fervent prayers of many people really would help me cope with the daily challenges.

·         I learned what the family of God looks like.  People from all other the world came to assist or contributed to our physical recovery.

The foundation of my hope in God begins in my past experiences when He has cared for me.

As I finish my reflection on the Book of Micah I am reminded to "Hold on".

·         Hold on to the proof of God's care for me in the past.

·         Hold on to His control in my daily life.

·         Hold on to His plan for my future.