promises of god... what do we make of them? promises of protection, comfort, peace, etc., etc. just listen to the promises we read of yesterday in psalm 91:

vs. 3 - Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare, and from the deadly pestilence,

vs. 4 - He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

vs. 5 - You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

vs. 6 - nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

vs. 7 - A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

vs. 9-10 - If you make the Most High your dwelling, even the LORD, who is my refuge then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.

vs. 11-12 - For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your way they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

vs. 13 - You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

vs. 14-16 - "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

the reality of life seems to belie these promises.... disease, suffering, injustice.... they are all a part of our lives. so how are these things reconciled? how do we believe the promises that seem to say that trusting in him will keep us from "the fowler's snare", will prevent "disaster from coming near your tent" when we have all seen a reality that appears to say just the opposite? tell it to the children and their parents who are in the oncology ward at children's hospital. tell of these promises to the multitudes caught in the snare of addiction. tell the victims of violent crime, the victims of oppression in darfur, those who live in abject(sp?) poverty, those who can't get a decent wage, etc., etc., etc.

question of the day in our high school class.... so how do we believe the promises of god when the tangible evidence we see around us seems to say just the opposite? i guess we'll be exploring this over the next few weeks. should be quite interesting.