In these uncertain times we have many worries. At some point in our lives we will all face serious issues. You may have heard it said that you have either gone through a storm, are going through a storm, or will go through a storm? It’s true isn’t it? It seems, as we say, “its always something”. The question then remains, what do we do? How do we navigate through these seemingly endless storms?
My dog Maggie is terribly afraid of storms. She can hear the thunder in the distance before my husband or I have any inkling a storm is coming. At the very first signs she begins to pant and pace. No matter what room she is in, she will go to a corner and begin to claw at the wall in an effort to “escape”.
The Hebrew word for fret is charah, it means to be hot, angry, or to burn oneself in vexation. Websters defines it as “to affect something by eating or gnawing away”. Sounds serious doesn’t it? But isn’t that mostly how we approach the strains of life? Like Maggie, we pace and pant and claw, looking for a way to escape.
The only thing that gives Maggie any measure of calmness or comfort during a storm is to put her in her kennel and cover it with a blanket. Of course it doesn’t make the thunder and lightning go away, it just hides her from the storm until it passes.
In today’s reading the Psalmist is telling us we need not fret over the struggles of this life. He reminds us that even in the fiercest storm, we can have peace. If we are in Christ, He is our refuge, He is our hiding place. Jesus Himself said it in the final verse of John 16; “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Lord, help us to wait gently and to find our rest in You. Keep us mindful that the worries of this life, like the summer storm, are fleeting. They may come in making a lot of noise but in the end are but a whisper; a puff of wind that will quickly pass. Thank You Lord that through it all, You are our hiding place.
Copyright ©️ 2023 Sandra Bivens Smith. All rights reserved.
Morning Moments 