Yet you are near, LORD, and all your commands are true. – Psalm 119:151

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 31, 2013): Psalm 119:145-176

Today marks the 26^th anniversary of “Black Friday” - the day an F4 (or possibly even an F5) tornado tore through the eastern section of Edmonton, Alberta Canada. The multi-vortex tornado caused millions of dollars of damage and killed 27 people, injuring more than 300. And on that day, almost with the storms dying breath, it ripped apart a manufactured home community on the north east end of the city. By that time the tornado had weakened to an F3, but the homes in the subdivision were still no match for it. By the time the storm was over, the subdivision looked like a battle field. Images flooded the media of flattened homes, of people whose lives had been changed in a moment, and of children picking through the rubble trying to find their lost treasures. Black Friday changed the lives of a lot of people in the Edmonton area, and I know that it changed the way the inhabitants of the city view tornado warnings during the summer months even 26 years later.

For those that lived through the experience and can still remember back to the day that the Tornado leveled a section of the city, I know that some of them still struggle with the idea of being alone during the ever present storms that grow out of the heat of summer. Some just want to cling to somebody every time bolts of lightning light up the sky and a storm draws near – all because they remember the day of the tornado. The Friday that no one had ever anticipated would become a reality.

The Psalmist cries out to God that those who are wicked are near. It is a cry that reveals that, in the eyes of the Psalmist, life is just no longer under control. It does not really seem to matter if the enemy has drawn near or whether it is a natural disaster that lurks on the horizon. Either way, life’s control has eluded him. He wishes it could be different than it is – but his reality is that in the face of these circumstances, he no longer wishes to be alone (Psalm 119:150.) But comfort comes with the next breath as he realizes that he is not alone – that God stands with him. No matter what it is that comes next, the God of the Psalmist stands at the ready.

The Black Friday tornado was not the first tornado, even in the Edmonton Area – many had preceded it. And it would not be the last the tornado. Our television screens have been filled over the past few months with the devastation that has been caused by the twisters given birth because of our summer storms. For some living in “Tornado Alley,” the devastation has convinced them that there must be someplace better to live. But with the Psalmist we can agree that there are some things that even the storms of summer cannot take away from us. And we know that our God has promised to us that he will stand with us through all of the storms of life – no matter what form the storms may take. We are never really alone – and for that we can be thankful. 

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 120 & 121