Raise your hand if you’ve had a quiet time in the book of Nahum lately. Me, either. But I’m so thankful for this nugget that I read today, on a day when I needed to be reminded of God’s goodness.
The first day of December is a hard one. It’s the day that my mother went home to be with Jesus, and the day that my brother began his journey home to be with her and Him during an unbelievably hard season 18 years ago. This year, it’s the first one that my dad hasn’t been here for, and it’s the first time I’ve woken up on this day with no children in the house. Not that it’s bad to be in a house with just The B99 (every day’s a date, y’all!!), but if I’m honest, this year everything is just so quiet. Loss seems to be all around me.
Which brings me to Nahum, and a brutal first chapter describing God’s rage, wrath, and power. Fire burns, mountains quake, people die. The prophet describes immense loss that is literally surrounding him, and asks an answer that has an obvious answer: who can stand in the midst of all that?
Everyone already knew the answer was no one, and that’s what makes the next verse so powerful.
The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him. (Nahum 1:7 NLT, emphasis mine)
As long as we live in this world, we can’t escape the trouble that this world brings, but there is a place where we can be sheltered when that trouble comes. Right there in the middle of everything that doesn’t seem good, the prophet reminds us that the Lord is good. He reminds us that a good place to be in the midst of bad circumstances is close to a good God.
And so today, on a day that seems to be filled with more bad than good, I choose to cling to my good Father and trust that He will shelter me in the storm.
If you’re facing hard times, come join me. There’s plenty of room for you here as well.
