I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the LORD; the humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them. O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! O fear the LORD, you His saints; for to those who fear Him there is no want. (Psalms 34:1-9)
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned. (Psalms 34:18-22)
It was the biggest-ever ship to sail under its own power. It was trumpeted as the greatest achievement of modern engineering technology to date. At noon on April 10, 1912, the Titanic left Southampton dock for New York City. At 2:20 a.m. on April 15, the ship slid below the surface of the Atlantic. Out of its total 2,207 passengers, more than 1,500 died in the greatest maritime disaster in history.
When the first frightening reports of the ship’s sinking reached New York around six hours later, Philip A.S. Franklin, Vice-President of the White Star Line, said, "We place absolute confidence in the Titanic. We believe that the boat is unsinkable." At a United States Senate investigation, Franklin later said, "During the entire day we considered the ship unsinkable, and it never entered our minds that there had been anything like a serious loss of life."
There seems to be an enduring fascination with the sinking of the "unsinkable" Titanic. It is seen as such a fascinating, unusual, unique event. Hardly! From a biblically literate point of view, human arrogance is the norm rather than the exception. We boast of our achievements and pride ourselves on the evolution of our knowledge, technology, and moral sensibilities. Then we watch a space shuttle explode in the sky over Florida, wars that won’t end continue around the globe and our economy collapse. We human beings long for security, but we don’t know where to find it. We admit our need to feel safe, but we can’t.
Fear and trembling may well be the best description of much of the general human condition. A minister at a baccalaureate once said, “There is no security. We are always on a quest for security. That is why they call it a “’sense of security.’” How true if you consistently seek it in the wrong places.
Security is never found in the palms of our own hands. We know our weaknesses and vulnerabilities and recognize how easy we could be overcome. Our personal resources cannot provide enough for the tragedies and circumstances that can befall us. Our trust in others is not sufficient recognizing how fickle people are in commitment. So where is security? Where can we feel safe?
Psalm 34 affirms that there is one safe place in all the cosmos where you can feel truly safe. It has been identified for human beings for centuries now. That so many of us continue to live in fear testifies to the fact that so few of us have gone to it. Maybe this week we can point the way.
Scripture to Claim:
In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety. (Psalms 4:8)
