This may seem like a strange question. You may be thinking, “God doesn’t just talk to people these days.” Well, He does; we just need to be tuned in.

There are some episodes with earthquakes going on now. You may ask, “Where is God in that?”

In the New Testament book of Acts, God’s servants, Paul and Silas, were arrested for preaching Jesus Christ and thrown into prison. The situation seemed dire, when in the middle of the night, Almighty God sent an earthquake that rattled the prison, opened all the doors, and loosened the chain shackles from the prisoners.

An earthquake has to be the most unsettling thing ever. When “terra firma” is no longer firm and, literally, you cannot stand up, all thoughts of stability and security are swept away. No building is safe, no hole in the ground is safe; you just run to an open spot and hope the earth does not open and swallow you.

In the book of Acts, chapter 16, verses 23-34, the aforementioned earthquake happened in a town called Philippi. The jailer was so upset that, after the earthquake, he was ready to fall on his sword. Paul voiced to him not to worry, that they were all there. The jailer ran into the prison, and his first question was, “What must I do to be saved?”

Natural calamities have a way of bringing us back to basics . . . survival physically and spiritually.

Obviously, God speaks through His Word, the Holy Bible, and He certainly can be found in some churches, but not all churches give a good representation of who He really is. That is a subject for another time, but God also speaks through His creation.

God is on display all the time everywhere. You just have to look.

In the Old Testament, Almighty God was dealing with a guy named Job. God used some difficult circumstances in Job’s life to get his attention. After some storms and some physical maladies, Almighty God took Job on a nature tour (see the book of Job, chapters 38-41). God uses four chapters to tell Job about the wonders of creation, centering in on a couple of animals named Behemoth and Leviathan. When God was finished with His nature tour, Job was convinced, in a deeper way, of who God is. Job said, in chapter 42 of Job, verse 5, “I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.”

So, if God seems distant to you, a walk in the woods or a visit to the zoo might be in order. You never get closer to God than being out in His creation. All the while, as you surround yourself with God’s wonder, God is asking, “Can you hear Me now?”

Dan Puckett works with road team operations at Life Action Ministries in Buchanan, Michigan.