Hurricanes have been devastating our coastal neighbors over the past few weeks. First there was a rare hurricane that hit Southern California, then another flooded through Florida. Presently, they’re tracking a big storm heading toward the New England states.
I’m thankful to live in a country where relief efforts are extended from both public and private sectors. Funds are being donated; volunteers are already on the scene to lend a hand or a hug. When you’re going through a storm, you need all the help you can get.
Today, you may be a thousand miles from a hurricane landfall, but each of us will experience super-storms in our souls. In Psalm 55, David speaks of wishing for “a shelter from the raging wind and tempest” (Psalm 55:4-8). Actually, the fierce wind and gale wasn’t just from enemy soldiers, but one of his trusted companions had betrayed him. David says, “indeed, it is not an enemy . . . it is not one who hates me . . . But it is you, a man like me, my close friend in whom I confided” (Psalm 55:12-13).
Betrayal. When someone you trusted uses what you’ve shared with them against you, it can feel like a Category 5 hurricane in your heart. If it was an enemy, you’d just stack up the sandbags and carry on. But in a friend’s betrayal your confidence and joy get swept away.
Yet, King David sought no revenge. Instead, he gave the whole thing to the Lord: “As for me, I call to God, and the LORD saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice” (Psalm 55:16-17).
God is the great Relief Worker. He is there before, during, and after the surge. Even in the eye of the storm, you may “cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22).
