Weekend Words

From Our Daily Bread devotional...

In the Dark and in the Light

Hurricane Dorian pounded the Bahamas with winds of up to 185 miles per hour and left the tropical haven in shambles.  It continued to wreak havoc as it traveled up the eastern coast of the USA.  A hurricane chaser - one familiar with storm patterns - found shelter in a solid concrete school.  He reported that "the winds pounded the building with the force of a thousand sledgehammers."  In spite of what was happening on the outside, he found safety on the inside because the building was trustworthy in a storm.

A number of biblical metaphors point us to the trustworthiness of God as our safe place.  Psalm 18:2 says, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."  The writer unleashes these words to convey the truth that God can be trusted in times of peril.

Who among us doesn't long for safety as we find ourselves traversing the rough terrain of life?  Ill health and physical discomfort, relational stress and alienation, financial tensions that seem to have no end.  People of faith find help in the knowledge that "the eternal God is [our] refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27).

While it's comforting to know that God is Lord over the storm - it is even better to know that His presence is a reality apart from trouble.  God is not a "superhero" who shows up when life's villains make their occasional appearance.  No, the all-sufficient God is trustworthy at all times and in all situations!

Why are we so inclined to think of needing God just in the midst of dark days, as if He can take a rest when things are well?  Many days are rather uneventful.  If we're not careful, we can be lulled into thinking, "I've got this!"  A beloved hymn reminds us: "I need Thee every hour, in joy or in pain; come quickly and abide or life is vain."

Confident trust in the Lord is conveyed in Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want" (V. 1 KJV).  This declaration of confidence is followed by words that convey God's active presence at all times.

Calm reliance on God can be in play at all stages of life.  In fair weather there's no desperation, but our need to trust God is no less.  Whether there's green grass under our feet or a rocky road that leads to the valley of the shadow of death - we can trust Him.  Your present stage may be the instability or uncertainty of youth or the rocky transition to adulthood.  Separation or divorce may be staring you in the face.  You may be leaving home for the first time or leaving a well-established home to enter a senior-living facility.  Are you welcoming new life into your home through childbirth or adoption?  Or stepping into a new career or a new opportunity for service?  Trust Him!  You may not need God as a storm shelter right now, but you certainly need him as you navigate your new normal and even your ordinary days.

Life's scenery is guaranteed to change; life's Shepherd doesn't.  May you sense His presence afresh and find Him trustworthy at all times. 

Arthur Jackson, Our Daily Bread author