It was 4 PM and I was returning home with my mother from school. I was seven years old and looking forward to meeting up with my friends to ride our skateboards. As we turned into our driveway, a peculiar sight greeted us. Water was seeping through space under our front door and emerging from our garage. Confused and startled, my mother opened the front door and a flood of water cascaded upon both of us. The entire house was flooded; the culprit was a broken toilet tank and the water was still gushing.
Standing in our home, we were ankle-deep in water. My books and board games were drenched, useless. Carpet, furniture, bedding-all soaked. I turned to my mother but she was inconsolable, softly sobbing. When my father came home a few hours later, he had already spoken to my mother on the phone. He silently held her, without saying a word. I didn’t understand everything that was happening, but I knew one thing, I was scared. My parents, the people to whom I would usually turn to for reassurance, could not give it to me. There was no one else to whom I could turn. It was my family’s version of the great flood and at that time, I saw no hope.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Psalms 46:1-3 (ESV)
Even during the Great Flood, God provided hope and did not abandon Noah and his family. There were no other humans alive on the planet, just the eight of them. I can imagine the fear and horror as they witnessed the flood drown all of their friends and every land animal. Perhaps there were even people banging on the doors of the ark, desperate for shelter, as the waters covered the land. Did this Psalm echo the horror of this time, as waters covered even the highest mountain tops? In the midst of this fear and horror, there was hope. God was there, a refuge, strength, and help in times of greatest need.
Who was I to turn to when my rocks of comfort and strength were crumbling? Many years would pass before I had my answer. On my bed in my dormitory room in my sophomore year in college, in fear and frustration, I called out to God. He answered me when no one else could and forgave my sins, giving me peace and comfort. At that moment, I knew, for the first time in my life, that no matter the flood of personal trials or devastating natural disasters, God is our only hope.
Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.
The Bereans Blog 