Previous Reflections
REFLECTIONS
October 28th, 2012For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
Psalm 27:5
In the Face of Storms
Storm clouds gather in the distance. Thunder rumbles inside their darkness and flashes of violence signal their ominous power. Trees quiver in the winds of fear, houses tremble in the wake of the thunder’s force, and the power of the impending storm shivers deep within the soul.
But life has endured such storms before. This one too will pass one may reason. Ignore it. Set aside the fears. Sleep through it. “Oh well, it has been fun,” one may reason fatalistically. But can the storm clouds be blown away with such ease?
There comes a time in every life when storm clouds gather, rumbles of thunder are heard and lightning flashes signal trouble ahead. We have all been there—a time when a storm rising on the horizon posed a threat beyond our control; when no shelter on earth is strong enough to withstand its force. Whether gathering clouds signal violent weather, economic disaster, or life threatening disease, sometimes there is no other place to turn for help except to God.
I wonder where people turn when they don’t know God. I wonder how they bear the helplessness when storm clouds gather in their lives. I wonder where they turn when violent flashes strike nearby, when thunder cracks its deafening sounds in their soul, and when no shelter is strong enough to protect them.
In the face of such storms King David looked to the Lord for his protection. The Lord kept him safe when he defended his flock from wild animals. He was there when he stood against Goliath. He was there through his many military conquests. And David knew the Lord would be his salvation through all the other storms in his life as well.
Storms blow into every life, some too powerful for the strongest shelter. Their strength makes voices quiver like trees in the wind and bodies tremble in the wake of the thunder’s force. But assurance rests in our Lord’s comforting word,
“I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
You are the light of the world,
Richard+
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