July 2, 2023, column from the Amarillo Globe-News:
Finding refuge in God after tornadoes, tragedies strike
The “Verse of the Day” in this
newspaper on June 16 was from one of the “minor prophets” of the Old Testament:
“The Lord is good, a stronghold
in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.” (Nahum 1:7, English
Standard Version)
It was the day after a tornado
struck Perryton, resulting in three deaths, more than 100 injuries and the loss
of at least 150 homes in the northeast Texas Panhandle town of 8,100 people,
according to local officials.
Then on June 21, another tornado
plowed through Matador, 180 miles straight south of Perryton. Four people died
at Matador, whose population is just under 600. Fifteen injuries were reported,
and the National Weather Service said 61 properties were hit, including 29
structures destroyed.
Val Castor, a storm chaser from
KWTV in Oklahoma, told The New York Times that half of Matador “was wiped out.”
He talked to a man whose deceased wife remained in the rubble.
Certainly, June 16 and June 21
were “days of trouble.” Many had followed the TV weather people’s advice to
“take refuge” physically. Most also probably took refuge spiritually by
praying. Some still are thanking God that the tornadoes bypassed them. Others
who prayed just as hard either passed away or had to endure memorial services
for family or friends.
After the Perryton storm, my
sister checked on her good friends there and found out they were safe. After
Matador, I asked about a family friend there and was told she had moved to
another state a month ago. So those tragedies didn’t directly affect us. But
day by day, nothing is guaranteed.
The five men who descended
toward the Titanic’s resting place on the ocean floor on June 18 knew there was
risk in approaching the infamous ship in their submersible vehicle, but because
many others had preceded them in viewing it at 12,500 feet, I’m sure they were
confident they would return to the surface as planned.
Instead, they joined about 1,500
passengers and crew who died when Titanic sank in 1912.
Scripture doesn’t promise good
times. That Nahum verse doesn’t say the Lord withholds days of trouble but that
he is our stronghold when they occur.
Every one of us has those bad
days – or years – sometimes terrible times when we lose a loved one or when we
face seemingly insurmountable suffering. In addition to the troubles of our own
lives, we see it daily in the news and, if we pay attention to history as we
should, in the past.
The excellent, eight-part TV
series, “A Small Light,” reminds us of one of the worst “days of trouble” in
the world as it shows the heroic efforts of Miep Gies, a young woman who helped
hide Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis for two years. We know the
horrible outcome of that true World War II story. As I watched it play out on a
screen, I dreaded the day when the eight Jews in their hidden refuge would be
arrested and sent to concentration camps.
Such sorrow prompts many to question
the existence of God. Why would he allow such pain? Why can’t Perryton and
Matador and so many other communities that suffer be allowed to just exist in
peace and harmony?
The short answer is that humans
rejected God from the beginning, setting into motion the corrupted world we
live in. The sweeping scope of the Old and New Testaments shows the good and
the bad that have resulted and that continue to please and to plague us.
When the Son of God was on
Earth, he healed “multitudes” of people of physical and other ailments. But he
didn’t heal everybody. The apostle Paul apparently never got rid of his “thorn
in the flesh.” Jesus did, though, promise eternal healing for those who believe
in him.
As Nahum declared, “he knows those who take refuge in him.” Maybe that’s all the reassurance we need.
