Tag Archives: Earthquake

When the Ground Shakes: How to Stand Firm When Fear Tries to Take Over

27 Feb

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles


Reblogged Friday, February 27, 2026 

I was alone, seated at the dining room table in the home hosting me during my trip to Quito, Ecuador.

The chair moved slightly.

I brushed it off as my imagination—until the table began shifting side to side.

I jumped to my feet. My heart raced.

Only eight hours earlier, a powerful earthquake—nearly a magnitude 7—had struck. It was the same strength as the quake that devastated Ecuador’s coast just a month before. As the floor beneath me moved and the room trembled, one instinct rose above all others: I called out the name of Jesus.

In that moment, it felt as though an unseen army had surrounded me—fear, anxiety, uncertainty, panic—each weapon aimed straight at my heart.

Perhaps you’ve faced something similar. Maybe your world is shaking right now—not with a physical earthquake, but with an emotional one.

A diagnosis you didn’t expect. A relationship suddenly fractured. A financial blow. A future that feels uncertain and unsteady.

What once felt solid now feels like it’s moving beneath your feet.

Yet here is the unshakable truth: God is not surprised. And He already has the answer.

  • When King Jehoshaphat stood before an overwhelming army—outnumbered, afraid, and unsure how to fight—God spoke words that still steady trembling hearts today:

“Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (2 Chronicles 20:15)

  • When everything around us shakes, God does not ask us to strive—He asks us to stand.

“You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you.” (2 Chronicles 20:17a)

  • And when fear whispers that we are alone, God answers with His presence:

“Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged… for the Lord will be with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:17b)

We may feel the tremors. We may hear the roar of uncertainty. But our souls remain steady when anchored to a God who never moves.

If your world is shaking today, pause and listen. What is God whispering to you in the middle of the quake?

If this message speaks to your heart, I invite you to sit quietly with God today—even for a few moments—and surrender the battle you’ve been trying to fight on your own. You don’t need to have all the answers. You only need to trust the One who does.

And if you know someone whose world feels like it’s falling apart, please share this message with them. Sometimes hope enters through the simplest invitation.

Let’s Pray

Lord,

When the ground beneath us feels unstable and fear rises like a wave, remind us that You are our firm foundation. Teach us to stand still when we want to run, to trust when we want to control, and to listen when You whisper truth over our trembling hearts. We surrender this battle to You—because it was never ours to fight. Strengthen our faith, steady our souls, and help us see Your deliverance.

In Jesus’ powerful name,

Amen.

Bonus article on today’s topic.

Janet

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Check out Janet on the cover of the 2025 February issue of Woman of Faith Magazine! To read the full issue, visit their site here.

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.


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What to do when our world shakes.

4 Jun

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

His Way

 

06-03-16 earthquakeI was alone, seated at the dining room table in the house who hosted me during my trip to Quito, Ecuador. The chair moved a bit. I thought it was my imagination. Then the table moved from side to side. I jumped to my feet and my heart beat fast.

What flashed through my mind was another earthquake, similar to the one that happened only eight hours prior. The magnitude was nearly 7, the same magnitude as the one that destroyed the coast a month earlier.

As the table shook, and the floor underneath me moved, I called out the name of Jesus.

Perhaps I faced an army of fear, anxiety, uncertainty and those weapons of panic were about to attack.

You might have too. Maybe right now, life has your world shaking with an unexpected emotional earthquake. Perhaps you received painful news and what was once steady is now moving out of control. And without warning, the uncertainty of the next moment is about to bring you down.

But God is not surprised and has the answer. He’s saying to you, to me, the same as he declared to King Jehoshaphat who faced an overwhelming army:

  1. The battle is not ours. Thus, we need not know how to fight on our own because God said, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:15
  2. When all is shaking and the earth is moving underneath us, our soul is steady while we stand firm, wait and trust. “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem.” 2 Chronicles 20:17a
  3. We can face any tremor, confront any quakes, yet our heart is calm because God is with us. “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17b

If your world is shaking right now, what is God whispering to you?

 

Source: What to do when our world shakes. | Janet Perez Eckles

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Earthquake

2 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy Wills

                                                    

I don’t remember there being much said about earthquakes in New Mexico as I was growing up.  Many other parts of our country – and the world – had earthquakes, but not New Mexico.  It used to fascinate me how the earth would “shift” and rub against another part of earth and produce such a thing. I never thought I would be involved in an earthquake, myself.  But it did happen.  Fortunately, it wasn’t a very big quake, but it was definitely enough to shake me up just a bit.

Fred and I were living in San Jose, California at the time, probably sometime in 1966, where Fred was acquiring his degree in Meteorology from San Jose State College, in preparation for his military service.  Fred’s dad was Command Chaplain for the Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) (headquartered in Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio) at that time.  One of his duties was to visit the chaplains and the inspect the working of their respective chapels within AFLC.  One of those was in Sacramento, California.  So, when he came to visit that AF base, he brought Fred’s mother with him, so they could visit with us as well.

Kitty and Charles Wills 1980

Kitty and Charles Wills

We drove from San Jose to Sacramento and settled down in a hotel room.  Fred’s mother and I stayed in the hotel room and visited, while Fred and his dad visited the base chapel.  I was sitting on the bed in our room – knitting a sweater as I remember – and all of a sudden, the bed began to move!  It was an up-and-down movement, and nothing strong enough to toss me off the bed or anything, but definite movement!!

The movement didn’t last very long, but we were both going “what was THAT??!!”  Turns out, it WAS a mild earthquake.

I doubt that we were on the big fault line that will “someday” break California in half and dump it into the ocean, but it certainly gave us pause.

It certainly also gave me reason to know that I am prepared – ready – to meet my death, if it is in God’s timing for me to join Him.  I’ve tried my best to rely upon Him each and every day since then, to be ready for whatever He calls me to do.

My God is such a GOOD God!  And I love him.

One of my favorite scripture passages:

 1 Chronicles 29: 10-11

David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,

“Praise be to you, O Lord, God of our father Israel,

from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power

and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.”

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