The Coming Storm

I would hurry to my place of shelter,
    far from the tempest and storm.”
Psalm 55:8 NIV

My son was outside playing as a summer storm mumbled its approach. Still pretty far away, I thought.

But suddenly there was a close crash of thunder. The door flew open as small boy hurtled his way in and ran past me. Odd, I thought, and funny. Usually, he heads straight for me when he is afraid. Oh, well.

The thought was barely out of my mind when he returned with his favorite blanket and climbed on my lap. Guess I’m still his safe place, after all.

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I, too, play out in the sunshine, oblivious of the approaching storm. But when the storm is upon me, I, too, fly to my safe place: the God Who loves me.

A few weeks ago, in Learning to Wait, I wrote about the cats needing a new diet. Almost immediately, I discovered a brand that they enjoy. One crisis averted. Thank You, Lord.

But that issue with my mouth turned out to be more serious than I thought. Apparently, the radiation that ended my cancer 20 years ago also affected the adjacent bone, which was no longer supporting the teeth. Something has to be done, or the problem will just get worse.

I have choices. I could do nothing, but that’s no real choice. I could get implants but there is a question as to whether irradiated bone will support them. And it’s expensive.

So, I will be having gum surgery. It’s done in the office under local anesthesia, so it is nothing compared to cancer surgery. But a storm is still a storm, even when it fails to knock down trees.

Right now, I am sitting in my Father’s lap, safe and loved. And He has shown me already some of the benefits of this “storm.” My oral hygiene has never been so good. And it’s hard to mindlessly snack when you’ve just brushed your teeth.

But most of all, I have remembered that the God Who loves me, is also sovereign over the storm. And He has got me. Thank You, Lord.

But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord,
    a tower of refuge to the needy in distress.
You are a refuge from the storm
    and a shelter from the heat.
Isaiah 25:4a NLT