Earthquake of Freedom

Earthquake of Freedom

In January 2014, my nephew was driving us around the desolation of Christchurch in the south island of New Zealand. The sites we saw were sad, disheartening and solemn. My husband, Michael, was shocked. The beloved city of his childhood was barely recognisable. Buildings that were subconsciously landmarks of direction, were missing and a sense of bewilderment came over him.  Memories of childhood earthquake safety drills at school came flooding back to his mind. Recollections from younger days of being jolted and shaken stood starkly in Michael’s mind.  We drove past his childhood home, it was damaged and a sadness enveloped my husband. Earthquakes are the fear of every New Zealander.

Christchurch Cathedral

Early in the morning on September 4, 2010 an earthquake of 7.1 had rudely jolted the residents of Christchurch and the surrounding Canterbury Plains, awake. In the darkness, the reeling earth tossed people back and forth for an eternal fifty seconds. Dishes smashed, books and belongings toppled off shelves, houses shook violently from side to side. Silence and stillness descended as people slowly started to survey the damage. 

The came the aftershocks, wave upon wave of aftershocks. Sleepless nights and fear gripped the people of Christchurch. Children were unsettled. Was the ‘big one’ still to come? With each sudden jolt came the terror of wondering if ‘this is it’ as the seconds passed in eternal timelessness. Then it came  with full intensity on February 22, 2011, a large, destructive aftershock of 6.3 convulsed the area, back and forth and up and down it rocked and reeled buildings, belongings and people. The damage was horrendous to individual homes and belongings. The Canterbury Television building in the city was almost entirely razed with the loss of over 100 people. Buildings that had been weakened in the previous earthquake collapsed and toppled into the street crushing cars and pedestrians. The city’s icon, the Christchurch Cathedral suffered severe damage.  Children and parents, who had been separated by work and school, tried frantically to reach one another, mobile phone reception was down, electricity was gone, water became unsafe to drink, roads were buckled and split. Homes became unliveable and toilets unusable. Then came the liquefaction as vast quantities of grey sandy silt came bubbling up out of the depths of the earth, covering entire suburbs in stinking mud.

Liquefaction

Here we were several years after the momentous event that was to change the face of Christchurch forever, driving around forsaken suburbs, boarded up buildings, vacant blocks of land, and tumbled down buildings. It was a solemn and sad time. All together 185 people lost their lives in a city of only 400,000. It impacted each and every person. It impacted us.

The Bible tells us the story of another earthquake. Paul and Silas have been wrongfully stripped, beaten, thrown into an inner cell of a dark, dank prison and had their feet placed in stocks. There they were hurt and suffering, full of pain with all freedom denied them. Yet they sang and prayed. They worshipped God. Their minds were on their heavenly Father and not on their own seemingly hopeless and painful condition. Suddenly an earthquake rumbled and shook the prison. The doors were flung open, the stocks on their feet were broken. They stood as free men, no longer bound. This is the earthquake we need in our own lives. As captives to sin and satan we lie in bondage, unable to free ourselves, hurt and wounded by the pain of this world, God calls us to worship Him. To sing and pray and focus our minds off ourselves and our current situations and onto Him the Lord of our situations. Worshiping God lifts us into His presence. Then and only then can the earthquake of the presence of God break the chains from off us and open the prison doors, setting us free in the light of His glory. Come and let us worship God today and enter into His presence. 

Acts 16:25, 26 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.  Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 

Ps 22:3 But you are holy, O you that inhabit the praises of Israel.

Ps 107:14 He brought them out of darkness and gloom and broke their chains apart. 

John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.