5"The waves of death surrounded me; the floods of destruction swept over me. 6 The grave[a] wrapped its ropes around me; death itself stared me in the face. 7 But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I called to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears (
2 Samuel 22:5-7
"The waves of death overwhelmed me; floods of destruction swept over me. The grave* wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I cried to my God for help.He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
, NLT).
The above Scripture passage, a heartfelt cry of King David written thousands of years ago, is also very telling of the experiences of many of those recently rescued or soon to be rescued from the jaws of Hurricane Katrina's wrath.
God does hear the cries of those who suffer in the aftermath of this devastating Gulf storm. The Lord God is close to the brokenhearted, to those crushed in spirit (
Psalms 34:18
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
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). He is our refuge in times of trouble (
Psalms 59:16
But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love.For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.
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).
And He is answering the cry for help in part through the humanitarian efforts of such organizations as Operation Blessing, The Salvation Army, and the Red Cross, just to name a few, as well as through government funds and military rescue efforts.
In the meantime, as the rest of us stay glued to the television set, transfixed at the images of horror that have transpired these last couple of days and waiting to hear from loved ones, we must not allow our hearts to faint to the point that we lose hope and begin to question the goodness of God. We can become overwhelmed when we dwell on tragedy, which is exactly why the Bible tells us to set our minds on things above and not on earthly things (
When our hearts are troubled, we must seek the Lord. When we give our anxious hearts to God instead of remaining paralyzed by our fearful thoughts, we gain His peace. The Bible tells us plainly in
Philippians 4:6-7
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
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:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (NIV).
John 14:27
"I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.
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also notes the exchange of fear for peace. Jesus states:
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (NKJV).
These are the times to remember just who our God truly is, a God who is there and a God who cares. So let us pause to consider our Great King. Let's look on heavenly things for a moment to calm our nerves.
WHO IS GOD IN THE MIDST OF TRAGEDY?
Our Comforter
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
, NASB).
Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places And her wilderness He will make like Eden,And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in her,Thanksgiving and sound of a melody (
Isaiah 51:3
The LORD will comfort Israel* again and have pity on her ruins.Her desert will blossom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the LORD.Joy and gladness will be found there. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air.
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, NASB).
Our Deliverer
But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction (
Job 36:15
But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity.
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, NIV).
He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my deliverer (
Psalms 144:2
He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer.He is my shield, and I take refuge in him. He makes the nations* submit to me.
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a, NLT).
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (
James 1:17
Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.* He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.*
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
, NIV).
Our Overcomer
"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (
"Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world" (
1 John 4:4
But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
, NASB).
Our Guide
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight" (
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
, NIV).
Our Upholder
"Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you" (
Isaiah 41:10
Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
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, The Message).
Our Protector
" Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared" (
Proverbs 3:25-26
You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the LORD is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
, NIV).
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance (
Psalms 32:7
For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
, NIV).
Always with us
He says he will never leave us nor forsake us (
Deuteronomy 31:6-8
So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you." Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched, he said to him, "Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors he would give them. You are the one who will divide it among them as their grants of land. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you."
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;
Joshua 1:5
No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.
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;
Hebrews 13:5
Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,"I will never fail you. I will never abandon you."*
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).
The Unchanging One
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (
But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness (
Psalms 86:15
But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy,slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
, NIV).
Isn't it good to know how great our God is! He is our Defender, Deliverer, and Mighty God. Let us choose to trust in His goodness in these troubled times.
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever (
Psalms 29:10
The LORD rules over the floodwaters. The LORD reigns as king forever.
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