Last night I was reading in bed when my wife received a notification on her phone:
“Emergency Alert – National Weather Service: TORNADO WARNING… Take shelter now in a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building.”
iPhone Tornado Warning
We looked at the alert and everyone in the house (Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, Sister in law, and my wife and I) rushed to the first floor and headed directly to the windows to see this “tornado”. Call us stupid, foolish, thrill-seekers, etc. I call us humans.
I asked my wife: “Why do you think we have such a desire to go against safety concerns and stand so close to the storm?” She explained her thoughts: It is the same desire humans have to stare at the Niagara falls or a volcano. We love to see something outside of ourselves that we have no control over. That got me thinking. We certainly love to see the grandness of nature but in reality we have a deep fear of being in it. Think about Niagara falls. There are safety precautions everywhere around that place: a massive railing far away from the cliffside, and the boats that get close certainly don’t go near enough to pose an actual threat. And volcanoes? Very few people are actually taking trips inside of one. We are content to see the outside from a safe distance.
You see, today we have safety procedures and cautions for everything. Basements, storm shelters, bomb shelters, food storage, etc. And as much as these have been a blessing to humanity I fear it’s also taken away our sole dependance on God alone for safety. Take a look at this part of Psalm 107:
“Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on many waters;
They have seen the works of Yahweh, And His wondrous deeds in the deep.
He spoke and set up a stormy wind, Which raised up the waves of the sea.
They went up to the heavens, they went down to the depths;
Their soul melted away in the calamity. They staggered and swayed like a drunken man,
And all their wisdom was swallowed up.
Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to stand still,
So that its waves were hushed.
Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He led them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to Yahweh for His lovingkindness, And for His wondrous deeds to the sons of men!
Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him at the seat of the elders.
Psalm 107:23-32 (Emphasis is mine)
The people on the ship did not have railings, iPhone warnings, or basements to run to. Rather it says: “their wisdom was swallowed up”. They had nowhere else to turn but God Himself. And it is God alone who: “brought them out of their distresses”.
The Point
The reason for this post is to remind you Who is behind the grandness of nature. Don’t ever find complete comfort in our human buildings, shelter systems, and food storage. God can easily get rid of those in a blink of an eye. And if that were ever to happen we would all be stripped and it would be revealed who (or what) we really trust in. Ask yourself: “If my house was to be torn down and blown away would I find shelter in Him?” All of this can easily be applied to our spiritual storms as well but I think you all can make that connection.
There is a coming day when all of this world’s wisdom will be swallowed up. Every escape plan, every safety precaution, every line of defense we think we have against nature will be blown away. When that day comes only those who trust completely in Him will stand. As the psalmist says: “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” Find where your confidence lies and ensure that it is in Him alone.
Action
- Praise God for His wondrous works and His sovereign control over nature.
- Ask God to help you place all your confidence in Him
- Confess to God all the worldly things you have found your confidence in
- Thank God for His control and His lovingkindness