Adversity can pose
real dangers to us. Doubt, discouragement, and depression, lurk in the
dim shadows of hard times, making us espcially vulnerable to temptations
and transgressions. Periods of relative calm; however, can be eqully
treacherous. Feelings of self-sufficeincy can cause us to let down our
guard and that can spell trouble.
Unlike the
adventurer Harry Pidgeon, who circled the globe in a small sailboat, Noah
didn’t have to be a great seaman. The ark didn’t even have a rudder for
he know that God was steering his boat for him. He was safe and sound in
the ark whether the flood waters raged around him or the waters were calm
and tranquil. On the other hand, Pidgeon was asked to relate some of his
expereiences. He said, “Do you know the most dangerous thing a man
sailing alone has to face?” “I suppose storms and rocks,” replied the
interviewer. “Your’re wrong,” said Pidgeon.”It wasn’t storms I was afraid
of, but the clear, calm weather when a good breeze was blowing. In a gale
when a man goes on deck, he holds fast to something, for he knows he might
fall overboard, but in fair weather he’s apt to walk around the deck
without thinking. Then a little roll of the boat can throw him overboard
and he is lost.”
We’re not sure of
David’s circumstance when he wrote Psalm 16, but his heart attitude was
centered on the Lord so that no matter what the “weather,” he would remain
secure. He affirmed his trust in God in verse one, “You are my lord, my
benefactor; there is none above You.” He acknowledge God as his highest
treasure in verse two and determined to keep Him uppermost in his thoughts
in verse eight, “I am ever mindful of the Lord’s presence; He is at my
right hand; I shall never be shaken.”
If you are in a
period of life that’s free from sickness, financial stress, and other
adverse pressures, thank God. But like David, stay alert! A fair-weather
warning is always out when life’s waters are calm
