GOD IS SO GOOD

Our earth is an active place. Not only do we have seven billion people living on its surface, underneath the earth's surface there is a whole lot more activity going on than we ever realize.

Earlier this year I discovered a website that gives a day-to-day report on the earth's most recent earthquakes with data from the NEIC, the National Earthquake Information Center, located in Boulder, Colorado. You can find it at: http://quakes.globalincidentmap.com/. It shows just how active our earth is beneath its seemingly hard, yet thin crust. The most dangerous quakes are not necessarily those highest on the Richter Scale, but usually those most close to the earth's surface.

What's surprising is not just the high amount of daily earthquakes that take place on the "Pacific Rim of Fire" (which includes America's west coast), it is also the frequency of earthquakes in the rest of the USA - along the Mississippi, on the eastern seaboard and in New England states. Of course, some parts of South Pacific are rattled nearly every day by deep and powerful quakes, and the people there have learned to live with the ground moving beneath their feet.

There are plenty of reasons for people to fear earthquakes, but there are more reasons not to fear them. This earth that God has given us is our home. It is the best planet in the universe to support complex human life. It is the planet Almighty God has richly blessed. God is watching over us all, and giving us all we need for life, whether we acknowledge Him or not. We people are all blessed by His almighty hand. That is a very good reason to give Him special thanks on Thanksgiving Day coming in a few days.

Last year we felt a slight tremor here in Arizona as a 3.0 quake hit near Yuma, 150 miles west of us. The mini-blinds swayed and our whole home moved just a little. Tremors hit people in many places - a bad health report, losing a job, losing a loved one, experiencing a great disappointment, or perhaps feeling like you're losing your faith in God. Whenever the earth trembles beneath your feet, just remember, "The earth is the Lord's and all that is within it." (Psalm 24:1)

This Wednesday I will lead Thanksgiving Eve services at Trinity Lutheran, Casa Grande (at 4 & 7 PM), with the theme, "God Is So Good." Do you remember the Sunday School song with the simple yet profound words, "God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me"? Trinity congregation will sing that song Wednesday because it reminds us that God is good to us, even during the earthquakes of life.

Everyone experiences earthquakes in life, and God knows when they happen. He will be there to hold us up and bring us through. Whenever any earthquake strikes close to you, remember, "God is so good, He's so good to me." Then praise Him for His goodness!

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever." (Psalms 107:1)