Vol. 16 No. 06 | February 11, 2013
“The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for your area.” Those were the words from the computerized voice awakening me from a peaceful sleep at about 2:30 a.m. I listened. Checked the time. Got up to see what was happening. As I stepped out onto the front porch there was an eerie quiet with only the sound of storm warning horns in the distance. Although not usually unnerved by weather events, this one seemed different so I turned on the television tuned to the local station to see their weather screen lit up with severe storms moving across the area. Within in minutes the forecaster pinpointed an area not far to the east of us and issued this statement: “If you live in this area it is time for you to get to your safe place.”
Sure enough the morning light revealed significant damage had been done by a number of tornados that had moved through the area and touched down in a number of places. Along with one life lost, trees were twisted and tossed like toothpicks. The roofs of homes and businesses were torn off and tossed aside.
(As I write this, storms are beginning to move again through our area with similar concerns, and thousands in the Northeast are without power due to the latest snow storm, and thousands more are still without power or homeless because of another storm 100 days ago.)
When I hear the exhortation from the weather person to, “Get to your safe place!” I am reminded of other times in my life when I have received similar encouragement. Like when the nurse said, “You need to get to our office NOW!” And when the doctor said, “You need to have the surgery as soon as possible.” And another said, “You need to go to bed and stay for a while.” There is wisdom in hearing and heeding the warnings from doctors, nurses, and weather forecasters when they tell you get to your safe place.
There is even greater wisdom in knowing that we have a spiritual safe place where we can always go when the storm is raging, or when life is calm. God is our safe place. Consider these words from Scripture:
2 Samuel 22:2-4 (NIV84)
He said: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—
from violent men you save me.
I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.Psalm 18:1-3 (NIV84)
I love you, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.Psalm 62:6-8 (NIV84)
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge. SelahPsalm 91:1-3 (NIV84)
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.Psalm 144:1-3 (NIV84)
Praise be to the Lord my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.
He is my loving God and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me.
O Lord, what is man that you care for him,
the son of man that you think of him?
Do you have a safe place? When the storms of life are raging, He is a safe place. When the weather is really bad the forecasters may say, “Do not hesitate. Now is the time to get to your safe place.” In life, the urgency is even greater. “Do not hesitate. Go to your safe place now.” He is there. You will be safe.
Tom
© Copyright 2013 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.