Psalm 46:1-7
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city
of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
The trees had knees.
In Congaree National Park, my daughter, Maggie, my
grandchildren, Dylan and Zeke, and I hiked along the boardwalk over the swampy
areas. I’d never seen anything quite like the park. The other-worldly feeling
made me wonder when the dinosaurs or gnomes might appear.
Maggie and her family had visited the park before, and she
knew I’d love it. And I did. The vegetation was like nothing I’d seen before.
The trees were huge and fascinating. The Cyprus trees appeared to wear pleated
skirts, and they were surrounded by little stumpy looking knees. Maggie told me
the knees grow up from the roots and help anchor the trees in the muddy soil,
so they offer the tree an extra layer of strength against the wind and storms. The
knees also act like a protection against erosion, which reminds me of how God
anchors me and provides protection and strength.
The verse that mentions the nations in an uproar and the kingdoms
falling brings to mind the headlines today. So much turmoil is in the world,
yet in the Congaree National Park, I felt God’s protection and presence, especially when we encountered a timber rattler.
With God as my refuge, I embraced His presence in the forest,
and I hold tight to it today, at home. He is my strength and He holds me in His
hands.
Wherever you are, if you are a child of God, He sees you and
cares for you.