“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”
This morning I sit in my cozy little home office, surrounded by concrete walls, looking out of Hurricane-rated windows, with a tile roof over my head. I’m feeling pretty safe. Winds are temperate. The skies are dry (for now). In fact, I’m about to head out for my morning walk.
A hundred miles east, Dorian is unleashing “catastrophic” fury on the Bahamas before it churns Atlantic waters on its slow northeasterly march toward the Florida coast. The National Hurricane Center has just issued their 2:00 a.m. Public Advisory. It's not pretty:
BULLETIN: CATEGORY 5 DORIAN CONTINUES TO BATTER GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND...
On this track, the core of extremely dangerous Hurricane Dorian will continue to pound Grand Bahama Island through much of today and tonight. The hurricane will move dangerously close to the Florida east coast tonight through Wednesday evening. Maximum sustained winds are near 175 mph (280 km/h) with higher gusts. Dorian is a category 5 hurricane.
For now, our little slice of paradise looks to escape the brunt of Dorian’s wrath. For now! National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham reminds us,
“It just takes a little wiggle, a little movement, a little jog, and then all of a sudden you’re a little closer to the coast.” He explained that atmospheric conditions can change the direction of what has been an unpredictable storm. Dorian now ranks as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricane landfalls on record, tied with the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, authorities said.
Yes, indeed! “It just takes a little (atmospheric) wiggle” and we could be hunkering down in the face of 175 mph winds.
But isn’t that life? A little wiggle in the financial markets . . . a little wiggle with respect to our health . . . a little wiggle with a loved one . . . a little political wiggle — and that feeling of comfortable security vanishes.
Can someone point me to a safe place, please?
How about the Rock of Gibraltar? That pinnacle of peace, stubbornly fixed on the southern coast of Spain, has served as a haven of refuge for Arabs, Spaniards, and for the last three centuries, the British.
How safe is it? In 1779 Spain laid siege to Gibraltar for three years, seven months and twelve days in attempt to wrestle back control. “The Great Siege” failed. It was the last attempt to take the Rock by force. Is it any wonder that the phrase “As safe as the Rock” became commonplace in the English language?
“As safe as the Rock!”
You don’t need a hurricane to need a place “as safe as the Rock,” when “a little wiggle” can threaten your sense of peace. But here’s the good news Isaiah delivers: There is a place of absolute safety, a refuge where you can hide when life's “little wiggles” threaten to undo you.
“Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock”
You see, the Great Siege of 1779 failed -- not because the defenders were strong -- but because their feet were planted on the the Rock of Gibraltar.
The Rock was the difference!
God, “the everlasting rock,” is the believer's Gibraltar. His perfect peace is available to all his children who learn to plant the feet of their thoughts firmly on Him.
Today, right now:
No matter the difficulty . . .
No matter the obstacle . . .
No matter the weakness . . .
No matter the “little wiggle” that threatens to undo you . . .
God offers peace—perfect peace. Trust him! The winds will howl, but In Him you are “As safe as the Rock.”
Notes:
September 2, 2019 2:00 a.m. advisory from National Hurricane Center. www.nhc.noaa.gov
“It just takes a little wiggle . . .” from “Hurricane Dorian’s track shifts; Broward no longer in the cone.” By David Fleshler and Marc Freeman, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sep 01, 2019. 11:16 PM. www.sun-sentinel.com. Accessed September 2, 2019.