There was a time when this verse and song became front and center for me. My husband and I had gone to Canada to join his father and mother at a fishing camp. They spent their summers there and enjoyed a time of relaxation. Before we left for a day trip on the lake, I remember my husband saying that when we go fishing, we had to take rain gear because his father fished through the rain. So we gathered our gear and headed out.
Our destination was "Elephant Lake" which was a bit of a drive on a gravel road used by logging trucks. Of course, the area we were in was not heavily populated, and once we got out on the lake, there
were no houses around. The fish camp knew where we were going and if we did not return by evening, they would send out a search party for us as was their custom. My father in law knew the lake very well and no longer needed a guide to navigate it.
In the first half of the day, we had pleasant weather and moderately successful fishing. However, by afternoon, a sudden storm came along. We put on our rain gear and hoped it would blow over but the sky grew darker and darker by the minute. As lightening began to crash, my father in law said we needed to head in to the docking area a number of miles away. We started on our journey back as the wind picked up and the rain began to fall. The lightening was vicious and all I could do was hang on to the boat seat through the rough waves and pray. Over and over again in my mind, I remembered the Psalm 32:7 and the tune I had heard that went with it. Truthfully, I did not know if we would get back to our safe haven, but I just kept singing the song in my heart.
After what seemed like forever, we made it back to the docking area, and all of us breathed a sigh of relief. God had been our hiding place in this time of trouble, and He was truly our deliverer. My father in law later admitted that he wasn't certain we would get back safely as this had been the worst storm he had ever seen on this big lake. Yet our Father God had other plans for us and kept us in the hollow of His hand through the storm raging all around us.
Our lives are a lot like that small boat we were in. We go cruising along enjoying our daily routine and suddenly, a storm comes up. Often it takes us by surprise. We thought we were prepared, but then the lightening begins to hit around us shredding our confidence little by little. If we have taken the time to draw near to God through His Word, we will not fear the circumstances even if they look scary. We need only call to remembrance the verse in this Psalm. We can pray it, sing it and recite it over and over again until His peace fills our heart.
Another Psalm I memorized as a child and often find myself repeating is Psalm 23. Again, the comfort of knowing God as our Shepherd lifts us out of the dark pit of depression and self pity. The only way we can trust God more as we face the hard places in life is to seek Him in His Word. There we meet Him face to face. His love casts out all fear, and this is what we need at a time when it seems we are in deep danger.
Make no mistake dear friends, as Satan's time on this earth is shortened, we will see more and more
wickedness, personal attacks and persecution of our faith. Yet, God has promised to be our hiding place and our Shepherd. He is the one who protects our hearts. We need to pack our rain gear (the Bible) and take it with us so we can weather any storm that arises. He is the best pilot of our boat, and He will safely get us home again. Selah!
No comments:
Post a Comment