Metanoia: March 23, 2018

Jeremiah 20:7–13
John 10:31–42
Psalm 18:1–7

O Lord my stronghold, my crag, and my haven.

As boaters, we have traveled many times up and down the Georgia Strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia. There is always a patch of water just North of Lund, BC where it seems that it is very rough due to the currents and winds converging in this area. There is a fueling station with a couple of docks with a small motel in Lund. Once you pass this place going south, you won’t find another safe haven for several miles but turning back is not an alternative. The first time we stayed there, the waters were so rough it was harrowing just getting into the dock and getting tied down. During the night the fuel dock sunk in the night.

In the early 1980’s, my first husband had been sick and then had knee surgery, which was a big event in the early 1980’s and then was unemployed, all in a small town in Quebec, Canada. Life was getting unbearable and I cried out to the Lord. There was not a “haven” in sight. God touched the hearts of a couple I had met at university. They made the 475-mile journey to visit us. They evaluated the situation and literally created a job for my husband at their small company, boarded him in their home for several months until I was able to move and join them in Waterloo, Ontario. I was able to rent an apartment, find myself a job and we were able to start a new life. God had provided that “haven” in the storm of life.

Thank you, Lord, that You are always there when we need to find a safe haven in the storms of life. Amen.
-Marilyn Allen