Today's Scripture Reading (August 1, 2022): Psalm 43
We recently had a discussion
in our house, around the supper table, about tornadoes with our grandson. He
must have learned a little about these destructive winds in school. We don't live in North America's "Tornado Alley," but that doesn't mean that our home has never experienced the threats of tornadoes during the summer months. On
July 31, 1987 (thirty-five years ago yesterday), a day known locally as "Black Friday," a powerful F4 tornado ripped through the Eastern
side of the city, not far from where my grandson and I both currently live. A
friend was taking a nap when the tornado approached his home, and he said he
woke up to what sounded like a train heading straight for his home. He was able to get out and to a safe place before
the tornado hit, but there is still a part of him that panics every time a
tornado warning appears on the weather reports.
I asked my grandson if he
knew where he should go if a tornado were reported in the area. And he replied that he was
supposed to go to a windowless room in the basement. After this response, we
discussed what rooms might work well in his house and which room would be good
to go to at grandma's
and grandpa's house in case of a tornado. We decided which rooms would be the best at both of
our houses, just in case a tornado comes our way again.
But having said that, I know the room to which we would go in case of an impending tornado, but if one passed by close to our home, I am still not sure that we would feel all that safe. I would pray and count the minutes until the tornado passed and I could
feel safe again.
Sometimes, that moment of hiding in a windowless room
in my basement, hoping to be safe from a passing tornado, is a good analogy for life. With both tornadoes and life, we know that we can do everything right and yet still
find ourselves in a tough spot. We have experienced the frustration of doing
everything right and yet not getting good results. As a result, we sometimes wonder if there is any benefit to trying to do things right.
David finds himself in a
place where he is asking the same questions. He has made God his fortress, yet
he feels like his God has rejected him. Trouble has encroached on his life, and David has no explanation why. And so, he suffers. His mourning seems endless, and there is no reprieve
coming from God. We
have been there; we know the emotions through which Davis is suffering. And
like David, we need to understand that even when the tornado is approaching,
shaking the foundation
of our fortress and placing us in danger, God is still with us; he is closer than our next
breath. And that is precisely where we need him to be.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
Psalm 44
No comments:
Post a Comment