When you see pictures of the house, you see terrified inhabitants hunched in fear. Frozen in time, the people of Pompeii still give testimony to the violence that destroyed their city.
In 79 AD they believed Vesuvius was just another mountain. Meanwhile, enormous underground pressure grew until it blasted the upper third of the mountain into the atmosphere. Then a deluge of superheated volcanic gas and ash slammed down on the doomed city. Hundreds died in the ruins leaving their bodies molded in ash for future generations to discover.
Those who escaped could only watch helplessly as Vesuvius, the landmark of their city, was disfigured into its tombstone. Their world had collapsed.
There are times when it seemed like my world had collapsed around me. I don’t think I’m the only one. And many times it seems like we can only watch helplessly. But where we might be “helpless” God isn’t.
Through these time God was my strength. In the midst of tragedy, God gave me tranquility. In the book of Psalms we read these words of comfort: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the sea.”
When troubles come we have hope. God is always with us. He opens His arms and beckons any shaken by the storms of life to enter and find his peace. God will never let go of your hand. Never.
Chaplain Tom Love