Ps 16:5 ~ Safe (7/14/96)
The TV news was full of the airplane crash in Bosnia that had claimed the lives of US government officials and service people who were on an economic aid mission to help the people of the war-torn country. Among those killed in the crash was my cousin Charlie, and it was in the course of responding to this tragedy that the concept of safety began to unfold in a different light for me.
Searching for words to write just the right thing in condolence to our cousins, my mother called me looking for an adjective to describe faith. She wanted to share with her nieces and nephews the depth and quality of faith that has sustained our family throughout its moments of tragedy. Looking for the right words to express the kind of faith she knew in her heart, we tossed a few adjectives around, but didn’t arrive at the one she wanted, so we agreed to keep thinking about it and re-connect later.
After an hour, the phone range and mom, with a note of satisfaction in her voice, related that she had found the adjective she had been searching for – it was “secure!” “Secure faith” was just what she wanted to express!. The smile that instantly appeared on my face reflected my delight at another reminder of God’s hand at work – another “coincidence!” In the last few weeks the kids and I had begun a game of putting Biblical quotations on a chalk board – the one I had picked for that morning was Psalm 16:5 – “Lord, you have made my destiny secure!” Secure – what a great word to describe faith! I had picked the verse because of the thought of destiny, thinking about Charlie and his journey into eternity. Mom and I both grinned at having arrived at the same word, and my grin expanded even more when I went to a Christian musical performance that evening and heard for the first time a song whose refrain included the phrase “our faith secure,” another affirmation of the rightness of the work choice.
When I came home from the musical that night, I pulled out the dictionary and looked up our adjective, “secure,” and these are the definitions listed: “1) free from fear, care, doubt or anxiety; not worried, troubled or apprehensive. 2) free from danger; not exposed to damage, attack, etc; safe. 3) in safekeeping or custody. 4) not likely to fall or to give way; firm; strong; stable. 5) sure; certain to be relied upon.” What a great word! And to couple that adjective with “faith” made it a real powerhouse!
The word “secure” came to my mind often through the next few weeks, and especially coupled with the definition “safe” – they really spoke to me of the assurance of God’s presence. It was after another tragedy that this sequence moved to a deeper level for me ~
A young boy in our community had been hit by a train and lost both of his legs. He was a member of our parish, and our whole small community was rocked at the tragedy and responded with messages of support and aid. At the closing liturgy for our Catholic grade school, Fr. Len prayed for safety for all our kids this summer – the train accident was on his mind as on everyone else’s, and we prayed that no more tragedies would occur during the summer vacation. Less than a week after the close of school, another family suffered a deep loss. An eighth grade boy drowned in the rain swollen waters of the Wolf River. At the funeral liturgy, Fr. Len expressed our collective grief, and his own feeling of personal loss at the death of a boy he knew well. He spoke of how fragile life is, how greatly we need to cherish it, and his words echoed in everyone’s hearts. He also spoke of the boy’s faith – it was a real faith, and Fr. Len expressed assurance that Bret knew his Lord and was with Christ.
What had happened to our prayers for safety? How could another tragedy happen so soon, especially after our hearts had been so lifted to the Lord for our children? The connection with the secure faith my mother had been describing and the definition that included safety came to mind more and more. For me the transition to safety in Christ became evident – surely there is not and cannot be any true measure of physical safety in this fragile world we live in; the only true safety is in the assurance of faith in Christ – in having our being entrusted to His Heart and abiding in Him. My humanity longs for the tangible physical well-being of those I love – my spirit knows their actual wholeness rests in Christ. Only when we have given our hearts to Him, and trust in His mercy, will we ever really be safe!
Ou lives here on this earth are so short, and so very fragile – a single instant transforms vibrant health to death – how can we possibly live in security unless we are grounded in Christ? The words of St. Paul echo in my thoughts – “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor height, not depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:38-39).
I thank the Lord for His gift of secure faith!
Spiritual Sun Pennies 