Today’s Scripture Reading (April 14, 2016): Psalm 28 & 29
Sometimes it is simply overwhelming. News of the nuclear capabilities of North Korea and that they now possess the ability to reach North America with their weapons. The Paris attacks. The arrests in Belgium followed by the attacks in Brussels. More arrests following the carnage there. Questions about what comes next. Will the trouble reach North America? Are there more San Bernardino’s in our not too distant future? Is London safe (and for me even more importantly, is my niece who is currently studying in London (and Germany) safe?) Questions reign. And sometimes they threaten to pour over me like a flood. Often it simply makes me want to disengage, to bring all those that I love into close range and disappear into the wilderness. To build an encampment where we can live and defend ourselves. Oh, I get that it is impractical, but the desire still occasionally grips onto me.
By all reports the control of the Islamic State in the Middle East is slipping. And all this while reports come in of factory workers that have been kidnapped in Syria. The Islamic State might be losing in the Middle East, but is that enough. Their fingers seem to be tearing into spaces that are a long way away from their embattled homeland. And the fear spreads. And as I write these words I can almost see the smile spread on the face of Albu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic States current leader. The fear is just as he imagined that it could be. A flood of fear aimed at Europe and North America.
And so we come to Psalm 29 and these words - The Lord sits enthroned over the flood. God is king of the flood. David’s choice of words is significant. This is the only place in the Bible that uses this word for flood other than within the story of Noah (between Genesis 6 and 11 it is used twelve times, and every time it is used in reference to the flood of Noah.) It is almost as David wants us to see that imagery and the knowledge that even in the worst moments, the flood moments that threaten to destroy the earth, God is still in charge.
That might be hard for us. We want to be more in control. But often that just gets us more and more into trouble. We try to shake things our way, rather than recognize that God still has a plan, that he is still on the throne. In fact, even in the moment when we are overwhelmed and circumstances threaten to push us under, we see that God is riding the thunderstorm. He is in control and we are safe in his arms. There is no need for fear.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 30
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