Safe Place

Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength...a very present help in time of trouble."

Living in North Alabama, how many times have I heard the weather reporter warn us about strong storms moving through the area?  And he usually says something like this:  Find a safe place in your home and stay there till the storm passes.

We know a few things about storms here.  Most of us have either survived a tornado, watched one pass by, or have family and friends who weren't so fortunate.  We all know someone who was hit by the storm and lost everything.  Their home was in the path of the storm and even though they lost all they had worked for, they lived through it.  They survived.  They found a safe place.

Sometimes, in this life, we will face storms that will utterly destroy everything that matters.  We may lose a loved one.  We may lose our health.  We may lose our job.  We may lose our home.  It's as if we're right in the path of the storm.  What do we do when we see the storm approaching?  Take the advice of the weatherman - get in a safe place and stay put.  Or, as I like to think, get in a safe place and hold on.

I remember one night close to thirty years ago when I was pastoring my first church.  I was awakened in the middle of the night.  There had been a terrible accident.  A young man and his wife were in critical condition.  Me and another pastor drove most of the night to be at the hospital with the family.  When we arrived, the wife had already passed away.  I walked into the intensive care unit to pray with the young man.  I prayed with him...and then, much to my surprise, he quoted the verse "God is a very present help in time of trouble..."  I won't ever forget it.

It's good to know when you are at your lowest - when the storm has hit your life - that God is more real than you ever imagined.  You will find, at your lowest, that He is your refuge and strength.  He is a very present help in times of trouble.

Going through a storm?  Find your safe place in Jesus - and hold on.  M