With the sickness, death, trauma, confusion, chaos and natural disasters like fires, volcanoes, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes in our own community and around the world – not to exclude the hate, animosity, bigotry, lying, murders, gang violence, political turmoil and everyday dangers, a song has been reverberating in my mind:
When the storms of life are raging
stand by me (stand by me)
When the storms of life are raging,
Stand by me ( stand by me)
When the world is tossing me
like a ship upon the sea,
thou who rulest wind and water,
stand by me (stand by me.
The hymn goes on to say, In the midst of tribulation, in the midst of faults and failures, in the midst of persecution stand by me. When I am growing old and feeble, when my life becomes a burden, O thou Lily of the Valley, stand by me.
We serve a Living God who is ready and willing to do just that. Scripture is filled with assurance that such a plea from the heart gets God’s attention. Jeremiah 33:3 often referred to as God’s telephone number says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” David, the King and psalmist said, “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17). And in Psalm 55:22 he said, “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” And in 1 John 1:9 we read, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” The storms of life are raging all around us but our hope is in the living Lord. When you pray to Him with all your heart pleading “Stand by Me.” You can count on it – He Will.
In His love,
Charles
