Consumed

London.  Mid October, 1940.  Ruby laid on a cot in her family's air raid shelter.  A soft rumbling thunder rolled through the night and jolted her from her light slumber.  The flickering hue of the lantern bounced eerily off the walls and onto the face of her worried mother.  Cool dampness filled the air of the cramped quarters.  She shivered slightly but not from the cold.

The rumble grew steadily louder and with it, her fear.  Even at her young age, she understood what was coming.  The scene had replayed itself out night after night for weeks.  Soon the sound of plane engines would be overhead and she would huddle and pray that their home would not be tonight's target.  Neighbors had already sustained direct hits.  But a destroyed home was not her greatest fear.  A few blocks away, an entire family had been killed when a bomb hit their garden shelter.

She rose quietly and padded softly to her father's arms.  He smoothed her curls and kissed her forehead.  He reached out to her mother and pulled her into his arms.  The three of them embraced.

"Do not be afraid, my loves.  I am with you."
"But the planes, father, the planes are coming," Ruby said.
"I hear them.  But I have built a sturdy shelter to keep you safe."
"What if the soldiers come?" Ruby replied.
"I am ready to fight for you."
"Father, I am frightened!"
"I know.  But trust me child, I will not leave you.  You are safe in my arms."

Do you ever feel like Ruby?  I know this is exactly how I have felt over the past few days.  Completely consumed by the circumstances that are surrounding me.  Fear of what's to come.  Anxiety of what I'll face.  Trembling at things that are completely outside my control.

My self esteem has taken a hit.  Old hurts have been brought to the surface.  My confidence is shaken and I can't see the next step.  Fear threatens to take over as I hear the rumbling of distant thunder. If it does, my thoughts won't be my own.

What will I do?  Am I safe where I am?  Am I ready to face what is to come?  I know I can't stop it.  It's like I am Ruby, sitting in that shelter and although I have been told I am secure, there is a little bit of doubt.  The bombs are beginning to drop far off in the distance.  As the explosions grow louder and closer, my anxiety begins to rise.  Every bit of my being wants to flee.  It takes every ounce of strength and every bit of will to remain where I am and to trust that I am far safer here than trying to outrun the bombardment.

Today, I was blessed to hear the voice of God.  I did not recognize it at first.  It was a phrase that played over and over in my head.  "It's done.  It's done.  It's done."  It took a good long while for me to realize what was happening.  Then I thought, "Wait, Lord?  Is that you?"  And there it was.  The picture of Jesus on the Cross.  "It is finished."  Comprehension dawned.  "It's done."

See God already built the shelter for me.  I walked into it the day I accepted Jesus as my Savior.  I am His.  "Sin has lost its power.  Death has lost its sting!"  Nothing can separate me from God. My Pastor put it to us this way tonight:  When God is not present there is chaos, but when He shows up, EVERYTHING must submit.  It's like God is the eye of the storm.  So even when we feel like we are in the midst of life's hurricane we can find the ultimate peace in His arms.  In other words...

"Do not be afraid, my loves.  I am with you," says the Lord.
"But father, the storms are coming."
"I hear them.  But I have built a sturdy shelter to keep you safe."
"What if evil comes?"
"I am ready to fight for you."
"Father, I am frightened!"
"I know.  But trust Me child, I will not leave you.  You are safe in My arms."

I believe that Ruby could rest in the knowledge that her father was there.  Tonight, I will rest in knowledge that my heavenly Father will stay right by my side.  

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8:38 - 39