Safe Harbor
By Tracy Smith
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of
trouble.
Psalm 46:1 (NLT)
Psalm 46:1 (NLT)
Almost
five years ago, the town my sister’s family and my parents live in was hit by a
tornado. My dad’s neighbor enjoys watching storms and told my dad he was
watching the storm without fear until he saw the large pine trees in my dad’s
yard bend and touch the ground then immediately
bend and touch the ground on the opposite
side! At that point, he knew it was time to get in the basement! No more
time for watching, it was time to seek shelter. [1]
We
all have those times in our life - - when we feel storm-tossed and know we need
to find a safe harbor. The storms vary in intensity and strength, but all
involve change and uncertainty and we need to find the calm in the storm.
Where
do we go to seek shelter?
If
you read Mark 4:35-41, the disciples and Jesus are caught in a storm while on a
boat. The disciples are scared and afraid they are going to die. In their fear,
they wake up Jesus and He commands the winds and waves to be still.
In
2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Paul shares that he pleaded with the Lord three times to
remove a “thorn of his flesh.” Something that tormented him; something Paul
really just wanted gone from his life. The Lord did not remove this storm from
Paul’s life but declared, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV).
These
examples show that sometimes the Lord chooses to calm the storm and sometimes
he wants you to remember to cling to Him through the storm - - for His strength to be sufficient for
you. Either way, He is there and He is
your safe harbor through the tides of change.
GOING
DEEPER:
1. Do you see Jesus
as a safe harbor in the storm? If not, please read the Scripture listed in this
devotional or do your own Google search for verses. Pray about what you read.
2. Think of a time in
your past when you felt storm-tossed. With the perspective of time, how do you
now see that God was with you through it all?
FURTHER
READING:
[1]
To see pictures of the damage Eagle, WI sustained in the tornado, click here.
Along with being a
wife and mother to two boys, Tracy
is a ministry assistant at Oakwood, serves on the Women’s Ministry Special
Events Team and works with a great group of Junior High girls.
