Two ladies were talking after attending church service one Sunday. The first lady, we’ll call Ruth and the second will be Alice. Alice was talking all about her troubles, her husband was not making enough money at his job, she never knows where her teenage daughter was, her mother expected her to be always at her home, and there were more things but the fact was that she was an unhappy lady.

“Do you pray about those things?” asked Ruth.

Alice was quiet, trying to figure out why Ruth asked her that question. ” I do pray, but I never hear any answers” Alice finally answered. ” So, what’s the use?”

“What’s the use! God doesn’t always answer the way you want, but things around you would change, if you ask, believing He really hears you.”

“Well, when I pray, I  don’t know who I’m praying to. It feels like I’m talking to the wind or something. I hear pastor praying and he sounds like he really knows the person he’s talking to, but I figure he has to know,  He’s a pastor after all,” said Alice.

“Do you honestly know God, and that Jesus, God’s own Son died for you Alice?”

“Yes, of course, I know God and Jesus are real, you dummy,”replied Alice, laughing.

“But have you invited Him to be YOUR father and Jesus YOUR salvation, Alice?” asked Ruth, who was thinking she was getting a little heavy. Maybe I  shouldn’t ask that. She   looks like she will start crying any minute.

“You have given me a lot to think about. Can we get together sometime just to talk about this?” said Alice.

“Let’s do that, I’ll call you tonight and we’ll set up a time and place. Okay, Alice?”

“Okay,” she said as she walked toward her car.”

Is Alice like you? Maybe it’s time you think about that. God is our Father. He created all things like that beautiful sunset you saw last night, or that baby girl you finally saw right after she was born. But more than that He loves you and says he will never leave you. He gave his only Son to come down to earth to save you. And He watched as his Son was tortured, and died a terrible death, just for you. You want to be on speaking terms with Him, don’t you?

The first time i felt an earthquake made me realize what insecurity is all about. I was in my bedroom getting ready to go to work. My four year old son was in his own room getting some things he wanted to take to the day nursery. Suddenly the furniture and even the room itself moved!

I called out to my little boy, “What are you doing, Ronnie?  You see, I had enough kids to know that four year old kids are quite capable of destruction, However, it seemed that not even he could manage this constant movement! It was an earthquake!

“I’m here Mommy, under the bed, and it’s moving too” came Ronnie’s muffled cry. I scooped him up and ran with him outdoors. I don’t know why. It just seemed the right thing to do. The insecure feeling came over me full force when I saw even the sidewalk  was moving in waves.

Oh I’ve felt insecurity at other times too, like when my first husband suddenly died and I had three children to raise alone. Somehow we are so convinced of the solidarity of our planet earth, it really shakes us when we are shaken even a little bit. But we learn what security means when we experience insecurity.

Security is so often defined as a comfortable amount of material goods so that we have enough for all the days of our life. It brings up pictures of warmth, comfort, happiness and peace to most of us. and that isn’t true. It is when our earthly security is shaken that we begin to realize that security is not found in earthly things at all. Just as my little boy and I ran outside to find security, all of us run to find a refuge only when we need it.

I  have found that security can only be found by trusting in God, a God who is much bigger than worldly goods, earthquakes or anything else, for that matter. It is actually when we can trust that God is in control of everything that we know for sure what security is.

It does seem good to review the source of security once in awhile. Now when our car needed to be replaced, but where is the money? And a tree nearly fell on our house, all seems to be the time to review. So, in your life as well as  mine, we know the meaning of security, don’t we? It means God is in control  so everything will be okay.