Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. – Psalm 46:2-3

Today's Scripture Reading (March 13, 2020): Psalm 46 & 47

In turbulent times, there is always a tendency to panic. We seem to like to live in a world where there is a semblance of order, where things happen for a reason, and where today builds on yesterday. And for the most part, that is the world in which we live. We need to be aware that the things that we do today do lay the foundation for the world that we will build on tomorrow. Sometimes what is lacking is an understanding of consequences; that what we do today has a tangible effect on what is going to happen tomorrow.

But there are also the things that are out of our control. These are the authors of our panic. The stock market crashes. Even if you hold no stock, the economic downturn results in a shaking of our financial bedrock. Earthquakes shake a part of our world, and the effects can be felt miles away. Military uprisings in one area of the world create a flood of refugees that stream into the areas that they believe are safer. The deterioration of our environment has long been predicted to result in environmental refugees that will pour into the rest of the world, trying to find a safe place to live. We don't hold the answer to any of these things. They just seem to happen.

As a result, we live in fear of these events. We want to place them under our control somehow, even though we know that that is impossible. We lock down our borders so that people escaping the strife in other areas can't bother us, but even that only works momentarily.

And so the Psalmist writes an encouragement for these times of our lives. He does not say that they won't come. He also does not argue that we can be protected from the disruption that they will bring into our lives.   He does not instruct us to lock our doors. Instead, the Psalmist points to God. When even the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, and when the waters surge because of the quaking, it is God who is our source of refuge. There is a lot that we can control in this life; consequences are very real, and our actions do matter, but when the uncontrollable arrives, our only hope is the God of refuge and strength, our protection from the unruly of this life.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 48