Not Alone: Minneapolis Bridge Collapses

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Minneapolis Bridge Collapses

At the time of this writing, the horrible news is still fresh and available at KSTP News.

Such news shocks the world. We tend to think that our technology is dependable. We tend to believe that when we build something that it will stand. We expect that our governmental departments, especially the departments of transportation, keep our massive transit systems safe.

Then an event like today happens. The bridge that we travel daily collapses with many people using it.

When death stares us in the face, when our technology and genius fails us, when our best laid plans turn to dust, we react with fear and anguish.

Having faced death a number of times myself, I can vouch for the fact that death scares the wits out of a person. Even though I have known all my life that I am safe in God’s grace and that death has no everlasting power over me, nevertheless, when death has grabbed hold of me, I was afraid. While I look forward to and even pray for the Lord to take me to be with Him, dying is a frightening thing to face.

I myself have nearly been cut in half by my safety lanyard, fell through the floor of an 87.5 ft. forestry tower, and watched helplessly when a very large bull buffalo charged my wife. Such events can only be summarized and put into proper perspective by the following Psalm:

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

Indeed, we each need the Lord to teach us to number our days, realizing that our lives are in His hands. Thereby we will turn from trusting in anything else so that we rely upon Him in all things. Then, and only then, we live in absolute safety. No one knows the day or the hour of his own death, but trusting in God’s mercy in Christ Jesus, we each stand in awe as God turns our fear to confidence, our weaknesses to strength, our doubts to peace.

We can use technology and human reason to set aside temporarily our fears and our doubts, but eventually something like today’s bridge collapse brings our false confidence to full view. Only The Lord can provide the peace that surpasses all understanding. Only the Lord can deliver from death and the fears that we face on account of our mortality. And in Christ, He does.