Lost among the women's clothing racks...?

We have blown right through the half-way point in the month, and today we're in Proverbs 18. This chapter is one of my favorites, and is a great place to begin reading through the book, if you've never read through Proverbs before. I highly recommend it!

The verse I've chosen this morning is Proverbs 18, verse 10:

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe."

Besides the fact that I like the imagery of God being strong, I really love the 'tower' image. By definition, towers are tall, and it seems to me that the visual depiction of God's name being like a tower speaks to his omniscience. This reminds me of the difference between driving a sedan and a large SUV -- if you're in a truck or an SUV, you can see everything that's going on around you on the roads, and for most people I've spoken with about it, the ability to be "above" the traffic gives the driver a sense of control, and increased personal safety.

Likewise, from his vantage point as our 'strong tower,' God is able to see all of the traffic that's swirling around us each day, and is a safe refuge for us amidst the noise and the congestion of life.

When I was a young girl growing up in Houston, I remember going shopping with my Mom. I have vivid memories of the Foley's department store at Sharpstown Mall...and of the women's clothing department, where we apparently spent alot of time! I was like most kids I'm sure, because I would get bored and wander off through the department, hiding under clothing racks, looking for something to entertain me and pass the time while my Mom shopped....

Because my Mom was 5'11", she always stood out among all of the shoppers, the shelves and the clothing racks. If ever I got lost or separated from her, I had only to look up, and scan across the tops of all the racks. Without fail, I would be able to find my beautiful and tall Mom, serenely perusing the latest fashion items. As a child, my field of vision was limited, and I could only see oceans of clothing racks and shelving...but having a tall Mom meant that I always had a tower that I could see above the racks, a place of refuge where I could run when I got lost.

God is like this, except that instead of his being limited to a department store, the space he towers above is the entire world; and no matter where you are in the world, the moment you begin to feel lost or separated from him, you need only look up to find him there, a towering and strong refuge to whom you can run for safety.

Even though your field of vision is limited, and you can't always see the big picture of what's going on in your life, God sees it, and he sees you even when you're lost among the clothing racks. He is calmly watching over everything, and will be there when you run to him.