Collins Concise Dictionary defines the word haven as:
1. A harbour or
other sheltered place for shipping.
2. A place of
safety; shelter.
The title of this blog post is derived from a verse in Psalm
107:30, "Then they are glad
because they are quiet; so He brings them to their desired haven." Who
brings them to their desired haven? God that's who!
Let's look at some of the preceding verses to pick up the
theme of this blog post.
Psalm 107:23-29,
(23) "Those that
go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters,
(24) they see the
works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.
(25) For He commands
and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea.
(26) They mount up to
the heavens, they go down again to the depths; their soul melts because of
trouble.
(27) They reel to and
fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end.
(28) Then they cry
out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses.
(29) So He calms the storm, so that its waves are still."
Psalm 107:30, "Then they are glad because they are
quiet, so He guides them to their desired haven."
When life is going along smoothly and there are no storms
on the horizon it's easy to forget God and His benefits. Sunshine, rain, cool
breezes, good weather; these are all benefits to mankind.
Ships and shipping in general are very vulnerable when big
storms arise at sea. They can't pull off the road like a car. They can't drop
anchor in huge seas and hope to be secure. They are caught in the grip of the
storm. That's when the Captain and crew desire a secure haven; a shelter from
the fury of the storm. Even the huge mega ships plying the oceans are not
impervious to danger in big storms and huge waves.
I live at Innisfail in far north Queensland, Australia. Innisfail
is situated in the wet tropics. Our wet season is also our cyclone season.
Whenever a cyclone forms and heads towards our area of Queensland's eastern
coast we immediately begin to consider our cyclone preparations and our best
option for shelter during a cyclone.
Anyone who saw on TV the destruction from Cyclone Larry in
2006 and Cyclone Yasi in 2011 will realise the need for a secure, safe shelter
during cyclones of that intensity. Other natural disasters such as bushfires,
tornadoes, floods and earthquakes occur around the world. What is uppermost in people's minds? It has
to be access to a safe, secure shelter from the disaster. Since this is not
always possible we are thrown on the mercy of God to spare us and keep us safe.
It does not matter who you are; if it is a matter of life
or death, who can you turn to for salvation in extreme peril? Psalm 107:28,
"Then they cry out to the Lord in
their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses." The true
and living God is the answer! He provides salvation here and now and for
eternity through His Son - Jesus Christ.
1 John 5:11, "And
this is the testimony; that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in
His Son."
Jon Peasey
Words of Life blog www.jrpeasey.blogspot.com
Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey
[All
Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted.
Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted
for clarity. Words in bold type
emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or
elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate
directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]
[If you have any questions or comments you are
invited to contact me via the comments section below.]
