The Lord is good, a stronghold in a day of trouble, he protects those who take refuge in him.

Nahum 1:7

 

Earlier this week, a spring storm created some massive waves on Lake Superior.  

http://www.startribune.com/epic-size-waves-crash-on-lake-superior-s-shore/377327461/

(photo cred: Christian Dalbec)

 

Incredible right?

Incredible and beautiful and awe-inspiring.

When asked about his experience taking these pictures, Dalbec said: “It makes you feel small.”

As I look at this picture, all I can look at are the trees.
They are just taking hit after hit, up there on the cliff.
They look battered, a bit crooked and beaten down.  

 

Do you ever feel like that?
Like the hits just keep on coming?
Battered and worn down by wave after wave crashing over you?

Then today is for you.
Today’s verse was written by a lesser known prophet, Nahum, whose name literally means comfort.
He wrote to the people of God at a time where the hits kept on coming, and it really felt like evil might be winning.  God’s anger in this book is clear, but it is anger towards injustice.
This is a kind of anger we all feel, when yet another wave crashes down on us, or when we witness the unfairness that seems to be just about everywhere.  

But there is hope.
Because God is good.
Tov Yehovah.
Trust this, because it’s true.
Those are the first words of today’s verse, and they bring hope and a reminder that when things happen that aren’t good – you can be assured they aren’t from God.
God. Is. Good.  Tov Yehovah.
Repeat that to yourself.  (it’s said: tove (rhymes with cove) yeh-ho-vah)

And in times of trouble, when the waves seem to be beating down one after the other, our Tov Yehovah -our good God – is a stronghold.
That word (stronghold) literally means refuge, or place of safety.
You can trust that in the midst of waves, God is with you.
Loving you, taking care of you, protecting you, being your place of safety.

Tov Yehovah.