Clouds enveloped the tall lit cross rising skyward alongside the hills. The overcast heavens seem to drape the earth with gloom. Even though another cloudy gray day loomed with despair, the noble symbol of Christ’s passion manifested a safe harbor for my soul.
As I sat and gazed off in the distance at the cross, all the events of the past month came to mind. Sadness threatened to overwhelm me. I recalled sitting face to face with an anxious mother whose daughter had chosen to remain with a controlling boyfriend. The young woman was in danger and the mother had wanted to rescue her. Helplessly shedding tears together, we clung to the hope of Jesus Christ, our refuge.
Two weeks later, I got news of the death of a family member, my dad’s brother, a beloved uncle. With broken hearts, my sisters and I traveled eight hours to offer love and support to his wife and children and their families. We understood their pain, having lost both of our parents. Together we all grieved his passing from us, but celebrated his eternal life with Jesus. His earthly example of a true Christ follower emboldened us all to seek shelter through Jesus.
The eight hour return trip home coupled with sorrow caused fatigue in my body, giving way to the pains of degenerative discs and sciatica. The numbing pain throughout my back, hip, left leg and foot threatened to remove my focus from God. I cried out to Him for help and I know He heard my pleas. “You’re my sanctuary, Lord God, help me with this pain,” I said.
And then there is this coronavirus that the entire world is reeling from. The uncertainty of it all is wreaking havoc on our daily lives. But strength and calm can be found through belief in Jesus Christ. He is near to those who call on Him.
One of the greatest kings of all time, King David, experienced profuse hardships. Whether running for his life from men who desired to kill him or suffering heartache from the death of his baby conceived in sin, David understood fear and pain. And yet he acknowledged the power of Almighty God. David’s words of anguish as well as praise poured from his heart to God’s heart in psalms and spiritual songs. Because they ring true in everyday life, readers across the centuries have been able to speak David’s words back to God and find solace.
Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:6-7 (NIV)
Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 17:8 (NIV)
For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Psalm 27:5 (NIV)
Oh the conviction and comfort expressed in those passages. David trusted in the Lord, even in the midst of bleak circumstances. He recognized the perfect power of the Lord God Almighty. He offered his moments of doubt to the One he trusted. He hid in the shelter of his Protector and Provider. And God delivered his soul from the angst that surrounded him, filling him with peace.
When we trust God in the middle of our situations, He envelops us with His shelter of calm. The mother I sat with trusted God through her tears. She believed God to be in control and gained strength from God’s promises. The trust in God exhibited by my grieving family fortified all those who came to support them. We lifted up poignant praise to the One who strengthened us all. While continuing to suffer pain in my body, I am gaining strength from the promises of God. He is my hiding place. And this corona thing—we just must trust! Trust in God to surround us with songs of deliverance.
Right now I am gazing off in the distance, finding no cross. It is hidden from my sight. But I know it’s there, just as I know my Savior Jesus Christ infuses His strength into my soul. I will not fear though the earth give way. Instead I will trust God to deliver me. When troubles come my way, I declare Him to be my hiding place.
“Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you.
Psalm 143:9”