A Refuge

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

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 46:1-3 NIV

What a description of natural disaster.  I can only imagine how scary it would be to experience an earthquake where the earth literally sank or split into a great divide.  Or a landslide, maybe caused by a deluge of rain, that sends a whole mountain into the sea. A sunami caused by an underwater earthquake could seem like the sea was roiling in a chaotic fury.  So many natural occurences can be terrifying.  I have only experienced fierce thunderstorms and snow/ice storms but they are nothing compared to what some people go through. But even in those extreme events, God promises to be with us. He calls himself a refuge, a place of safety and sanctuary. A place of calm for our hearts in an otherwise horrific experience.  I can’t control nature but I can chose to call on God to shelter my mind and my heart, and to give me wisdom in wild situations.

Sometimes the earthquakes of life are emotional and not physical.  They can be just as scary.

I have two friends who have gone through psychotic episodes.  Truly terrifying. To lose your sense of self and your rational thinking is really to feel totally out of control. But I’ve also seen how God has been able to give them both a measure of peace and allow them to continue living even knowing that it could happen again.  He has silenced the roaring and enabled them to get back to a more or less normal life.

I’m glad that when I’m overwhelmed that God is still there protecting me and showing me a way forward.