Psalm 46:8 “Come, see the works of the LORD, who brings devastation upon the earth.”
Forest fires! Earthquakes! Tsunamis! Last night we watched a program analyzing disasters around the world. This episode examined the Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster in Japan in March 2011, asking why that particular reactor failed after a tsunami when several other similar facilities along the seacoast remained untouched. Turns out, the engineers planning the Fukushima reactor failed to study the most appropriate data as to the ferocity of tsunami waves on the east coast of Japan, getting much of their information from recent events. Other engineering groups went back nearly twelve hundred years and learned that enormous tsunami waves had battered the coast at several hundred-year intervals. Taking this history into account, these engineers developed sea walls that withstood the 2011 tsunami easily; meanwhile the sea walls at Fukushima were woefully inadequate. When the tsunami waves struck the plant, meltdown occurred, destroying the plant and threatening living things for a wide radius. Clean-up activities continue to this day.
Some people have reduced the One True Living God to the level of a stained-glass window figure. But live through one disaster and you will begin to glimpse the power of God.
Why should we study the works of the Lord? The psalmist has already told us that God is our refuge and strength. What good is a refuge if it fails to protect us? The workers at the Fukushima nuclear plant trusted in an inadequate sea wall that allowed waves to overwhelm the plant. Last fall, millions of people in western North Carolina, east Tennessee, and parts of West Virginia found their mountain refuges crumbling and sliding into the valleys after a hurricane hit the East Coast.
What good is a weak God who cannot help and protect us? Psalm 115:2-8 tells us, “Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.”
What happens to us when we trust in the Lord? For the answer, we continue with Psalm 115.
Psalm 115:9-13 “O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield. You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!
He is their help and shield. The LORD is mindful of us; He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron; He will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike.”
When we trust in the Lord, He will be our help and shield. The Lord will bless everyone who fears Him. Psalm 115 gives us the final reassurance.
Psalm 115:16-18 “The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He has given to mankind. It is not the dead who praise the LORD, nor any who descend into silence. But it is we who will bless the LORD, both now and forevermore. Hallelujah!”
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to continue to trust You, even when You create devastation. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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