Duck & Cover

The Lord is my light and my salvation – so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?

Psalm 27:1 (NLT)

Growing up in Fresno, California, we didn’t get too many extreme winter events that often. However, there was one event that was fairly crazy, and very frightening. It happened when I was in first grade.

The sky that day was dark. Dense clouds spread as far as the eye could see. It looked eerie. But, what was hiding in the clouds was the issue. Our teachers knew long before we did what it was. Finally, they shared with us that a tornado watch had been issued for our area, in fact, a funnel cloud had been spotted near the school. So, we did what most grade schools used to do, we practiced out “duck and cover.”

Duck and cover is a lost art in today’s schools (Unless you happen to live in earthquake country). Essentially, it goes something like this: When you hear the siren or instruction from a teacher, get under your desk, kneel down with your forehead to the ground, and place your hands over the back of your neck. The idea is that the desk would protect you from falling debris, and the hands over your neck would prevent a severed artery should the windows shatter and glass fly about the room.

A little while after our practice run, the real thing came. We were told to duck and cover. A tornado was heading our way. By God’s grace, the tornado missed the school, but it tore into some buildings at the airport a mile or two down the road.

In life, (even though we are Christians) we will have episodes that create fear, or at the least uneasiness. Yet, it’s in those moments that our Savior shows His power. He is our mighty fortress. His strength is greater than any other. As the psalmist says here, “Why should I tremble?” In those moments, we need to duck (kneel) and cover (pray).

When we accept Jesus Christ into our lives, He becomes our great protector. Yes, bad things still happen – we live in a broken and sinful world. However, nothing in the universe can touch our eternal lives. God holds those firmly in His grasp, and will never let go. He is our eternal fortress. He is our mighty warrior. Rest in His protection. Find peace in Him.