Weekend Musings
I was reading my friend Ann Voskamp’s blog about her trip to Guatemala and the forever-imprint it made on her heart. I want to urge you to go to her blog by clicking on the link I provided. Her words are so much more eloquent than mine. Read hers. Read hers outloud. Let her words and pictures and the Spirit of God open a window to the heart of God for the suffering. If your heart is broken, come back here and be comforted.
Psalm 46:1-3 (ESV)
1 To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear
though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah[1]
In light of who God is and who he is to us who believe, “Therefore we will not fear.” He is our refuge and strength. He is a “very present” help in troubled, disturbing times. That is, he is a real help, tangible help, not far and distant but near, close, powerful and personal.
This is the reality that galvanizes the soul of the faithful. This is how they (we) sail through seasons of storm, tsunami’s that rock our souls.
We will not fear,
though the earth gives way (sounds like earthquakes and mudslides)
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea (ditto)
though the waters roar and foam (sounds like storms and tidal waves and floods)
though the mountains tremble at its swelling (ditto)
Yet, because of who he is, because of who he is to us, because of how we hold on to him who is our refuge and strength, we are not capsized but like Jesus asleep in the front of the boat, we have a peace that surpasses all human understanding (Phil 4:7). And yet … there are tears.
Pray for your brothers and sisters in Guatemala. Pray for the flood ravaged, mountain-melted, storm tossed bays, and storm-surge devastated areas where gangs and drugs steal youth and innocence and dreams and mother’s hearts. Pray that believers there would be beacons of hope. Pray that they would hold on to Jesus. Pray that God would protect and provide new resources and help.
And if you can be a part of your prayer’s answer, don’t hesitate. Pray, go, give. But keep clinging to Jesus yourself. He is our only sure refuge in every storm no matter what direction it comes from.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001
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