Flood Management
Excerpt from Psalm 93
"The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea than the mighty waves of the sea." (KJV)
Reflection by Kenneth L. Samuel
The floods in Alabama and Mississippi over the past months provide a stark reminder of how much devastation uncontrolled water can bring. And to be sure, the devastating floods of fierce deficits, pounding unemployment, dysfunctional schools and raging health care costs are threatening to drown all of us in a sea of economic turbulence and rampant social malaise.
In times of raging flood we seek shelter and protection, but neither is offered in Psalm 93. In fact, the writer seems to take the turbulence, the instability and the overwhelming conditions of our stormy context as a given. What the Psalm lifts up for us is not protection from the storms of life, but assurance in the storms of life. No matter how uncontrollable the flood, God is still in control!
Excerpt from Psalm 93
"The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea than the mighty waves of the sea." (KJV)
Reflection by Kenneth L. Samuel
The floods in Alabama and Mississippi over the past months provide a stark reminder of how much devastation uncontrolled water can bring. And to be sure, the devastating floods of fierce deficits, pounding unemployment, dysfunctional schools and raging health care costs are threatening to drown all of us in a sea of economic turbulence and rampant social malaise.
In times of raging flood we seek shelter and protection, but neither is offered in Psalm 93. In fact, the writer seems to take the turbulence, the instability and the overwhelming conditions of our stormy context as a given. What the Psalm lifts up for us is not protection from the storms of life, but assurance in the storms of life. No matter how uncontrollable the flood, God is still in control!
In the neighborhood in which I grew up, there was one house I dreaded walking past. The house had a high wooden fence that I couldn't see through, and whenever I approached it I could hear the growling and barking of a big bad dog. As I walked along the fence, this ferocious dog would pound up against it, causing the fence to shake and lean. The dog would bark and pound on the fence as I walked along its entire length.
Fearing that the dog would one day jump or break through the fence, I started walking on the other side of the street. Sitting out on his porch one afternoon, the owner of the house called out to me as I crossed the street upon approaching his house. “You don’t have to walk on the other side of the street,” he said. "You've got a big bad dog over there, and he could bust that fence," I called back. "Oh, don’t worry about him," the owner responded. "I always keep him on a leash."
Isn't it good to know that God has every storm in our lives on a leash? And isn't it good to know that even when we are not in control, God still is?
Prayer
Dear God, help us to face this day realizing that there is no devastation in life outside the restraints of your power and your care for us. Amen.
Fearing that the dog would one day jump or break through the fence, I started walking on the other side of the street. Sitting out on his porch one afternoon, the owner of the house called out to me as I crossed the street upon approaching his house. “You don’t have to walk on the other side of the street,” he said. "You've got a big bad dog over there, and he could bust that fence," I called back. "Oh, don’t worry about him," the owner responded. "I always keep him on a leash."
Isn't it good to know that God has every storm in our lives on a leash? And isn't it good to know that even when we are not in control, God still is?
Prayer
Dear God, help us to face this day realizing that there is no devastation in life outside the restraints of your power and your care for us. Amen.
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