Beloved brothers and sisters, we have heard news of an earthquake. When the ground shakes somewhere, something also shakes inside us. Because even if we are far away physically, such a tragedy reminds us of a truth we often forget: we don’t have life guaranteed.
We can make plans, fill our calendars, talk about tomorrow, but none of us is guaranteed the next minute. The spiritual question is not only “what happened?” but: if today my life, my health, my family, my plans were shaken… what am I standing on?
Pastoral note: this study does not seek to speculate about the causes of any tragedy or point fingers at victims, but to listen to what God teaches us through the fragility of life.
TRAGEDY IS NOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO JUDGE, BUT TO AWAKEN
In Luke 13:1-5, some people tell Jesus about a terrible tragedy: Pilate had killed some Galileans. Jesus doesn’t engage in judgment or speculation. He asks whether those Galileans were worse sinners than the rest, and answers no. He mentions another tragedy, a tower that fell in Siloam and killed eighteen people, and again says they were no more guilty than anyone else. But He adds a warning:
“No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:5
When tragedy strikes, the human heart tends to react with cold curiosity or religious judgment (“that must have happened because of some sin”). But Jesus leads us to a third response: don’t look at tragedy only to explain what happened to others; look at it also as God’s call to examine your own life.
LIFE IS FRAGILE, EVEN THOUGH WE LIVE AS IF IT WERE SECURE
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town… yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.'” James 4:13-14
What a powerful image: life as mist. It’s here… and then it’s gone. The Bible doesn’t say this to instill cheap fear, but to wake us up.
“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…” Hebrews 9:27
Don’t live thinking “later I’ll reconcile with God,” “later I’ll leave that sin,” “later I’ll seek Christ.” Because “later” doesn’t belong to us.
WHEN EVERYTHING SHAKES, ONLY GOD REMAINS FIRM
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea.” Psalm 46:1-2
Our security is not that the earth will never shake. Our security is that, if it shakes, God is still God. There are physical earthquakes, but there are also earthquakes of the soul: when a marriage shakes, when health shakes, when the economy shakes, when faith shakes, when family shakes. And the question is: where do you run when everything moves?
TRUE SECURITY IS BUILDING ON CHRIST
Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount with the image of two men, two houses, two foundations: one built on the rock, the other on the sand. The storm came upon both houses; the difference wasn’t the storm, but the foundation.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-25
Christ does not promise a life without storms; Christ promises to be the rock that holds when the storms come.
“For I am sure that neither death nor life… nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND TODAY?
- Let’s pray for those affected: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15) The church does not watch a tragedy as a spectator, but as an intercessor.
- Let’s examine our lives: not to live in condemnation, but to return to God. Is there sin I am tolerating? Is there someone I need to forgive?
- Let’s repent and run to Christ: repentance is not just feeling bad, it is turning our face to God and no longer justifying sin.
- Let’s live prepared, not afraid: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)
CONCLUSION
Life is fragile. Tomorrow does not belong to us. Tragedy is not meant for judging others, but for awakening ourselves. Only God is a true refuge, and only Christ is a secure foundation. The great question today is: if everything shakes, what is your life built on?
If your life is on sand, today is the day to come to Christ. If your life is on Christ, today is the day to affirm your trust. Because we don’t have life guaranteed, but in Christ we have something better than a long life: we have eternal life.
If you want to change your life, we invite you to receive God into your heart, because only Jesus Christ can make you a new person. Visit our page KNOW CHRIST.
