Storm force

"I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips." Psalm 34.1

The storm that rages over Scotland today is mild compared to Hurricane Ian which is battering the east coast of North America. Similarly the economic storm which threatens our standard of living does not compare to the hardship facing millions in less affluent nations. More serious, yet more subtle, is the psychological storm which is troubling more and more people the world over - especially those at either end of the age spectrum. It is surely symptomatic of a deeper spiritual storm?

In the global community's widespread and continuing rejection of God's overture to us in Jesus, we are ignoring the rescue he offers - to liberate creation from all the storms which oppress us: meteorological, psychological, spiritual. Jesus himself could not have presented a more graphic illustration of what he came to provide than in his stilling of the storm on the Sea of Galilee. So why are even those of us who claim to follow Jesus so slow to trust him?

Psalm 34 concludes: "Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. The LORD will rescue his servants. No one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned." The surest way to weather any storm is to hold fast what is reliable, not to panic and not to grab what is not reliable in desperation. This is not an excuse to cower. It is a summons for those who understand where our ultimate security is to guide those in danger their present and eternal refuge...