NOVEMBER 9, 2015
Charity Island
Read:
Psalm
107:23–32
The
Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.— Nahum 1:7
Charity Island is the largest island in Saginaw Bay in the
Michigan waters of Lake Huron. For many years the island has provided a
lighthouse for navigational aid and a safe harbor for those sailing these
waters. The island received its name because sailors believed it was there
“through the charity of God.”
Sometimes in life we have to navigate through seas of troubling
circumstances. Like those sailors we need guidance and a place of safety; we
might wish for our own Charity Island. The psalmist understood that God is the
one who can bring tranquility to troubled waters and guide us to safe harbors.
He wrote, “He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.
They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven”
(Ps. 107:29-30).
While no one asks for the storms of life, they can multiply our
appreciation for the guidance and refuge God provides. He offers the light of
His Spirit and His Word to guide us. It is the safe harbor of His love that we
long for. He alone can be our ultimate “Charity Island.”
Father,
help me to seek Your light to guide me through the storms of life.
Share
your story of how the Lord has been your light in the comments section below.
The living God will always be our
shelter.
INSIGHT:
Today’s psalm reminds us that God can indeed
guide us to safe havens in the midst of life’s storms and trials. However, this
psalm also reminds us that the same God who calms the storm and points the way
to our “desired haven” (v. 30) is the God who sometimes stirs up the oceans in
our lives. It is God who “stirred up a tempest” (v. 25) that caused the sailors
to melt with fear and reel and stagger (vv. 26,27). Then “they cried out to the
Lord . . . and he brought them out of their distress” (v. 28). The God who
stirs the seas wants us to turn to Him for help. J.R. Hudberg
Source: Our Daily Bread 2015