This morning in my devotions God led me to the precious pages of Psalms for the strength that I would need later today. He led me to Psalm 56:3-4 which says, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?”
Little did I know how much strength those verses would give me today.
After first period I went to my second period class like usual. I said hi to my friend Cassie and we talked about this past weekend’s state championship swim meet. My AP English teacher began our lesson when an announcement rang through our classroom….”Attention teachers and students, we are in Code Red. Let me repeat, CODE RED!” Immediately my classroom was a mixture of chaos filled with panicking students. Was this just a drill or was something terribly wrong? A few moments later, we were informed of a shooting in the Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood area. The shooter was on the loose and all Broward County schools were in lock-down mode. We locked the doors, closed the hurricane shutters, and quickly texted our parents to try and get more information. In the midst of panicking, God brought Psalm 56:3-4 back to my mind. He whispered, “Emily, you are safe in my hands. Trust me. What can mortal man do to you?” I realized then and there that God had specifically led me to those to special verses for this very day. While students were panicking around me, I prayed to Jesus for peace. Eventually the lock-down was gradually lifted as they allowed students to go to lunch. No one was allowed on or off the school’s campus. I called my Daddy….I left a message and prayed that he wouldn’t get too worried. God had a plan for today. Police finally caught the suspect in the early afternoon. Our lock-down was lifted and the day returned to its normal routine. The important lesson that God shared with me is that He will always prepare me and shape me for His plans in my life. Today was a huge realization that I can trust God in any and every situation–including that of my physical safety. We didn’t have all of the information during the lock-down. We didn’t even know how close the suspect could have been to our school. But I knew that my God was in control and my devotions this morning helped me to trust Him with all of my heart.
Psalm 56:3-4 (MSG)
“When I get really afraid I come to you in trust. I’m proud to praise God; fearless now, I trust in God. What can mere mortals do?”
