阅读经文 

在你附近有没有一盏开着的灯呢？看看这盏灯，感受一下它散发出来的热力，留意它使人眩目的光——这细小的一束光竟然能照亮整个房间。现在想像一下，有一个小仓库，从天花板到地面的货架都放满灯泡，此外再没有其他的东西——一束闪电就是如此地光亮。

闪电是自然界中令人触目惊心的原始力量的体现，它是令人震惊和具破坏性的力量。人们需要保护自己免受闪电的伤害，历史上很多文化群体都畏惧闪电并视其为神灵。

有时我们会说：突发的事临到，就像闪电击中我们。突而其来的死讯、意外或灾难——甚至令人难以应付的试探——都可能像晴天霹雳般抓住我们。当有这种事情发生时，我们在哪里才能找到保护和安全呢？有什么事物能够如此有能力和如此稳固、足以保护我们在突如其来的危险和破坏之下安然无恙呢？

主是我们的避难所、我们的高台、我们的磐石，这是诗篇中常见的主题。这个世界和一切邪恶的势力，都不能接近或破坏我们在神里面的平安。无论有什么事情临到你，神必使你安稳在祂怀中——在祂密切的关注之下得平安。

Is there a light on near you? Look at it. Feel the heat coming from it. See its blinding brightness—how this tiny thing can light up a room. Now imagine a small warehouse full of nothing but lightbulbs shining, lining its shelves from top to bottom—this is like the brightness of a single bolt of lighting.

Lightning is a striking display of raw power in nature, stunning and destructive. People need to protect themselves from lightning. Many cultures throughout history feared lightning as a god.

Sometimes, we say, sudden events strike us like lightning. A sudden death or accident or disaster—even an overwhelming temptation—can grip us like a bolt from the blue. When that happens, where can we find a place of protection and safety? What is so powerful, so firm, to keep us safe from the outpouring of danger and destruction?

The Lord is our refuge, our fortress, our rock. This is a common theme in the psalms. The world and all the forces of evil cannot approach or destroy the safety we have in God. Whatever comes at you, God holds you in peace—safe and close in his care.