The devastation in Japan is heartbreaking, to say the least. I have spent time praying that God will intervene as He sees fit, especially in the area of the human soul. I have prayed that this disaster will turn people to God, rather than away from Him. I have asked the Lord that people who feel helpless and hopeless will find their ultimate help and hope in the salvation of the God of the Bible. As many of us know in a familiar way, the Lord often gets an honest hold of us through tragedy. Since, “even the darkness is not dark to [God], and the night is as bright as the day” (Psalm 139:12, NASB), we know that the Lord can use even the most horrible of situations to accomplish His greatest work – the salvation of a human being.
Today, I heard a radio commentator connect the Japan catastrophe to a jittery stock market and even greater rises in the cost of gasoline. Not anything close to an economist, I do not understand completely the fragile relationships behind the economic changes. I do, however, realize the effect of the changes on many people. Some of us focus mainly on the tsunami’s effects on our own, material lives. We are frustrated to pay two or three more dollars to fill our tanks. For those struggling financially, this can have a profound effect on the household. However, in a broad sense, we need to get hold of our reactions and trace the problem back to what really matters.
Instead of focusing on the higher gas price or lowered portfolio value, realize what the devastation in Japan truly represents. The tragedy reminds us human beings just how amazingly close we are to the end of earthly life. We are on the precipice. We are so fragile. In a moment – in a heartbeat – we may cross from life to death. Though myriad people try desperately to forget the reality of death – and they push it away with any number of meaningless distractions – death will still come. We are one tsunami, one accident, one affliction, or one calamity away from our standing before the God and Judge of existence.
As I drove by a gas station and noted the ten cent increase per gallon of fuel, I refused to let it frustrate me. Instead, I allowed it to remind me of what thousands upon thousands of people are facing. They are recognizing the brevity of human, earthly life. They are apprehending the vital nature of spiritual truth. They are contending with the deep questions only a real God can answer.
We who are relatively safe and content (for now) ought to allow the calamity in Japan to spur us to prayer for others and to a dynamic change in our thinking. Disaster and death are strange friends, reminding us that the status of our soul in relation to God is at the forefront of reality. Our mundane preoccupations notwithstanding, a brief life will end, and we will face God to receive the eternity He grants according to His will and His Word.
Genuine Christians need to remember two truths during these difficult days: 1) Our mission is clear and critical, and we only have limited time. Jesus said, “As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4, NIV). Friends, direct your energy to the work of God. Live the Gospel. Preach the Gospel. 2) Our focus is essential. The apostle Paul proclaimed, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (II Corinthians 4:18, NIV). We must shed the non-essential and live for what lasts. Think eternal. Live for the everlasting.