From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

SUMMER storms can come up quickly on the water. I learned this on a nearly perfect day when I was about 10 years old. The water was calm as my dad maneuvered our boat around the river while my brothers and I fished. Then without warning the wind shifted and the sky grew dark. Lightning came down in great streaks, as if looking for little kids in a metal boat.

"Everyone lie down!" my dad yelled above the sound of the wind. We lay on the floorboards and closed our eyes while Dad guided the boat. We hadn't gone far when he called to us again and pointed to a rock cliff. He pulled up to the shore and helped us climb to a small cave in the side of that rock where we huddled in safety until the storm passed.

When life suddenly changes or danger lies in my path, I think of that day and the psalmist's words in Psalm 46: "God is my refuge and strength, a present help in trouble" (verse 1). I still have to face what frightens me, but _I am not alone. God is that "rock that is higher than I," a safe place to go when the storms of life are raging. We can trust in God, no matter what happens.

Judith Fulp-Eickstaedt (Virginia, U.S.A.)