Protection from an Economic Freefall
October 30, 2008

Several years ago while having a blast at Magic Mountain in Southern California, my youngest son, Paul, and I stood beneath the Dive Devil, a ride in which two people are strapped side-by-side into a harness and then lifted 170 feet or so into the air. Once they reached the apex of the lift, one of them pulled a strap and they immediately plummeted down and then swung out racing just over the trees, buildings, and people below. With arms outstretched they looked like birds in people's clothing.

"We've got to do that," I said.

"No, we don't!" Paul said with an emphasis on the word "we."

"I want to," I said.

"Go ahead. I'll watch."

And so it was with a stranger that I watched my son shrink below me until he looked no bigger an ant. It was with a stranger that I heard the distinct, "click," as the harness was released. But I felt totally alone as I swooped down and over my son below. The moment we began to swing upward I relaxed because I realized the cords attached to the harness had held. What a ride! If you want to check out a video clip of the ride go to: Dive Devil.

Over the last month, as I've watched the stock market swing down and up but mostly down, I've reflected on that ride I took in California. Of course, I didn't ask for this "economic" ride. I woke up one day and found myself swinging out into open space unsure about would happen next. The experts have warned that this ride could keep going down. Over the last few weeks I've met men who have lost their jobs. I felt fear for them and for myself and for those I love.

And then I realized something that had no effect on the economic world but it changed me. This insight became like a safety harness and I knew it would protect me from harm.

The author of Psalm 46 faced unimaginable hardship. He stared extreme loss in the face. And he found a place of refuge that would prove safe in the face of the greatest danger.

He said, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging" (Psalm 46:1-3).

Notice that God is our "refuge." The word "refuge" is used elsewhere in reference to a rock badger's lair. It's a hole in the ground where the badger flees when he sees the shadow of a hawk. But God is also our "strength." He enables us to carry on when we feel like giving up. Of course, a lair would do a badger no good if he couldn't get into it. And strength would provide no help if it couldn't be accessed. That's why the psalmist said God is "ever present." He's easy to find when we need him. He's always close by.

What kind of confidence does God provide? The kind that erases fear in the face of an earthquake so devastating the tallest mountain crumbles into the sea. God offers the kind of peace we'll never find in the harness of a theme park ride.

This week, and in the weeks to come, as you contemplate the threat of economic loss, climb into God. He's closer than your shadow. If your children, or those you love, suffer from anxiety, take them to the one who will guard them for eternity.