Reflections On HopeSýnishorn

In 2004 an undersea landslide off the coast of Sumatra unleashed one of the deadliest tsunamis we have experienced in modern times, ravaging Aceh, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia, sweeping away homes and places of worship and work, buildings and boats, and the lives of a quarter of a million people, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians alike. In the aftermath of that event, we visited our friends among the Urak Lawoi people of South Thailand. They had miraculously suffered no loss of life, but homes and boats had been destroyed and a whole way of life dependent on the sea had been dealt a critical blow. We were deeply moved by the Christian community’s response of thankfulness to God and solidarity and support for their people. Psalm 46 became dramatically relevant and meaningful to them and to us.

This Psalm does not promise that those who trust in God will escape human disasters arising from natural events that have always played such a formative role in shaping our world. But in the middle of those disasters, they affirm “God is our refuge… therefore we will not fear.”

Tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions are unpredictable, as are many things in life. In all such situations the people of God are encouraged to recall that “God is our refuge.” This is the source of true security and hope: the unchanging and powerful love of an Eternal God. In the face of events we cannot control, whether mountains shaking in the heart of the sea, or the decisions of politicians and leaders, this Psalm forces us to look back to the greatest power at the heart of the universe, the God who is “with us” in the midst of everything.

“God is our refuge…therefore we will not fear.”