Council Grove Christian Church

5/13/26
Servants of God,
The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
-Proverbs 18:10
“…If you abide in my word, you are my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
-Jesus (from John 8)
 
On Wednesday, April 9, 1947 a great tornadic wind system rumbled across the panhandle of Texas, through a sliver of Oklahoma and played out near Wichita, Kansas. It was before the National Weather Service warning system (that did not come along until 1953). The most powerful of the six tornadoes that system produced approached Woodward, Oklahoma with almost no warning. It remains the single most devastating tornado to hit the state of Oklahoma. The F5 tornado literally tore the city to pieces. Over 1,000 homes were destroyed and at least 107 people were killed in and around Woodward.
When I was a child, we lived an hour or so north of Woodward. In fact, a man who lived across the street from us had been badly injured in that storm. He was taken up for dead but later woke up in a gymnasium that was serving as a make-shift morgue. His only memory of the storm was of flying through the air and looking down on the city as the storm that had him in its grip ripped the city apart.
 
Safety is important. Yesterday Marcia and I visited a building site. A new house is being built and we got a tour of the place. It is not a home yet—it is not even a house. It is a concrete slab and a few walls but it is clear what it will be if all goes as planned. A family will occupy this structure and live out their lives under the roof that is yet to be erected. You have to use your imagination to see the bedrooms, kitchen, living area etc. What you don’t have to imagine is the safe room. This concrete box with a plate steel door is clearly noticeable. Wisely, the room will double as a closet/ storage area until the time it is needed as a storm shelter or safe space.
Christians know that the world is a dangerous place. Because of the fall, all sorts of dangers exist. Many dangers are not physical. The greatest dangers come when we believe lies. False beliefs lead to wicked behaviors. Wicked behaviors signal a life headed toward destruction. When humans believe they can live well by using their own limited wisdom as their ultimate guide in life, they are on the path to ruin.
One of the things children need to be taught early and often is to believe God. God has spoken in His word and we can understand it and heed it. Every Christian, as a child of God, needs to constantly be reminded that knowing God and the truth that God reveals to us is essential for a good and productive life. There is only one safe place when danger lurks—we must run to God.
Some things are none of our business as creatures. The secret things belong to God. But the truth that God reveals to us is given so we may live in accord with God’s loving and beautiful instruction (see Deuteronomy 29:29). God’s instruction points us to Jesus, our true safe space and a genuine shelter in the storms of life.
Christian discipleship is not merely attending a class or memorizing a few Bible verses. Discipleship involves a real life lived in a dangerous world. It means trusting Jesus constantly and consistently. Jesus’ words to us matter. He calls us to himself. He calls us to trust him as light in the darkness; as bread for our spiritual hunger and as life-giving water for our spiritual thirst.
Where do you turn when you face the troubles and trials of life? The safe place is to run to Jesus by heeding His divine instruction.
Blessings,
Pastor John
Coram Deo