Safe with My Father
I lift my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV)
Our black cat, Gabby, is terrified of thunderstorms. In fact, he hides so well that we don’t even know where he goes, but it is certainly to his safe place. He hears the thunder long before we do and alerts us as he runs for his life. Sandy Kirby Quandt, (All God’s Creatures) tells us how her dog reacts differently than our cat.
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My husband, our Lab-pit mix, Bear; and I were winding up our 3,259-mile trip through the Southwest in our RV camper. After we checked into the campground in Carlsbad, New Mexico, the owner explained what the tall metal structures near a grove of fruit trees were—hail cannons. They fired loud booms every few seconds whenever storms approached and continued firing until the storms passed. Their intent was to interrupt the formation of hailstones in the atmosphere to keep hail from damaging the fruit trees.
Thunderstorms made Bear nervous. He didn’t like them at all. I really hoped we had no need for a hail cannon demonstration while we were there. Bear displayed his weather sensitivity earlier in the day when he hid under the dash at my feet. Although there was no evidence of a storm that we could see, our dog knew. Turned out, we were in the path of a tornado.
As we ate dinner that evening, it began to rain. Hail cannons boomed right along with the thunder. If thunder didn’t already upset Bear, it surely would by morning. Three severe storms passed through during the night, each filled with wind, rain, thunder, lightning and hail.
Although bear is not allowed on our bed, that is exactly where he went during the storms. He knew we were there. He knew he would be safe snuggled next to us. Bear understood we would protect him. Most importantly, our dog knew we wouldn’t turn him away in his time of distress.
In my times of storms, I need to be more like Bear. I need to go immediately to my heavenly Father, who will protect me and keep me safe. I know He’ll never turn me away.
Loving Lord, thank You for Your Presence. Remind us to lean on You without hesitation when the storms of life get rough and to run to Your waiting arms. AMEN.