Is It Safe???

Is It Safe?

A dear friend of ours wrote to us on Mar 25, 2011, at 9:54 AM,  :

is it safe ?????!!!!!!!

This is my reply:

Safe?  

Safe!!

Ha Ha! 

Humanly speaking, where is safe? There's no place on this planet that's "safe".

The media are raising alarms about radioactivity in water, milk, leafy veges, ....... then there's the continuing threat from the 6 damaged Fukushima reactors,  the aftershocks, the power blackouts,  the ever present possibility of Tokyo having it's (overdue) BIG earthquake, the cold weather,  the panic buying depleting stocks on store shelves,  influenza, rabid dogs, Tasmanian terrorists,  men from mars, and then (oh! you'll love this!) there're those creepy........  aggghhhh! I'm being eaten alive by...... (the sound of swallowing: GULP!)

         Now, let me see.

         Where was I?

         Ah yes:  "safe"

         Welllllllllll..........!  That all depends......!

I personally wouldn't want to sway you to move from any one geographical location to any other on the pretext that where you are is “dangerous”. Not at all. What do I know? God might want you there. Or here!

But (as you know I'm sure), I would want to underline, emphasize, highlight and point out: God is our refuge. He is a great protective Father.

Nothing gets to us but what He allows if we are trusting and obeying Him.

He was known as a "shield" and a "fortress", a

"shelter" and a "strong tower" to the Old Testament saints and He hasn't changed.

         He tells me that not even one sparrow falls to the ground apart from His care and that I am worth much more than sparrows! I believe Him.

         He tells me that no one can snatch me out of His hand. And I believe Him.

         He says He is the resurrection and the life and that if I believe in Him I will live even though I (physically) die. And I believe Him.

         Others who have done this before me have entered lions’ dens, been thrown into fiery furnaces, been imprisoned, been beaten with rods etc. Some have been miraculously rescued.

           So I believe the only “safe” place is not geographical or technological but relational: as long as I am trusting Jesus, He will keep me “safe” either here on this planet or with Him in heaven.

         I believe I should still be sensible and take precautionary measures. We are monitoring the situation as much as we can and OMF has a “Crisis Management Team” doing this as well and keeping us updated.

         There are fearful things, risky things happening around us and we are responding to them but my fear is for all those who don’t know Jesus. I ask myself: “Who is in the more dangerous place? Us or them??” and “What will happen to them?” Jesus says: “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” and I know that they are in a far far more dangerous situation than I am. The worst thing that can happen to me is that I die. But then I go to heaven! I’m looking forward to that! Exiting this world is not a bad thing unless it means going to hell. Jesus says that is fearful. I fear for the 99% of my Japanese friends who are in this predicament. Are they safe? No! But they can be!

                  Gary

      No one's ever seen or heard anything like this, 

      Never so much as imagined anything quite like it— 

      What God has arranged for those who love him. 1Cor 2:9 (Bible)