Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way. (Ps. 46:2)
MY BROTHER AND I HUDDLED inside our tent and prayed while my dad grabbed a shovel and attempted to channel the rushing water that threatened our camp and lives. Blanketing rain turned to blinding hail. Thunderous crashes warned of numerous landslides nearby. We were camping in the backcountry; no one was near for miles. Exhausted and nearing hypothermia, my dad finally stopped digging and scrambled into my parents’ tent to pray. The storm raged on.
The psalmist knew where his hope and help came from. He seems to have assumed that at times in our lives storms will bear down upon us. The earth itself will seem to shake. And we may feel like we’ll drown in the floodwaters of life. But in the midst of it all, he said there is an element of peace: our God who is always there and will see us through.
Like Peter walking on the stormy sea, we may start off strong amid life’s uncertainties. But sometimes we turn our eyes to what frightens us, and we begin to sink and drown. Even then, we can look to Jesus for strength, hope, and peace. He’ll keep us safe until He calms the storm. Like He did in the California backcountry . . . when we awoke soaked, but safe, to a sparkling, blue-skied morning, and looked around the lake at the landslides that somehow missed our campsite.
Pray on behalf of someone you know who is facing a storm today.
Diane Gardner lives in the San Francisco Bay area where she enjoys theater, street fairs, and watching the sun set with her husband.
