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Surviving the Storm

Approaching Amarillo, Texas and looking to the west, all I could see were huge, dark clouds. As the clouds moved closer, the wind, which until this point had been just a nice breeze, started to blow so hard that it was hard to keep the van on the interstate.

Then the rain started. Just a trickle at first, a few drop here and there, and then it became a complete downpour. The rain was coming so fast and so hard that you could no longer drive the speed limit because, first, you could not see and, second, the vehicle was hydroplaning all over the place.

Then the hail began. Again, not hard at first, but by the time we reached the outer limits of Amarillo some of them were approaching marble and then golf ball size. It was beginning to get a little scary.

We got off the road and hid under the canopy of gas station and then that I saw something that I had never seen before or since. All kinds of cars, trucks and semis began parking under an overpass – right on the interstate! I mean, they were parked on the highway, under the overpass, completely blocking the entire road and no one moved until the hail stopped.

I have been in a few storms like that over the years (one time when I was headed to Regina for a Rider game and another time while I was actually at Taylor Field watching a Rider game) and they are not fun. When heavy rain and huge hail hits, everyone runs for whatever cover they can find. Finding a refuge, wherever and however you can, becomes the most important thing.

Why am I thinking about all of this today? Well, I was reading Psalm 61 and, in this psalm, David is in a “storm”. Bad things are happening to him and he needs a refuge, a safe place to go until the storm passes over. Fortunately, he knows where to turn.

“Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings” (verses 1-4).

I hope your skies are bright and sunny right now. I hope that you are enjoying your life and that things look hopeful.

However, if you can see the clouds building, or if you are in the middle of a storm right now, please remember that there is a place of strength and safety available to everyone.

We can find high ground, a shelter and a refuge in God.

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