The mountain ranger concluded: “Now that you can see the power of the eruption I hope you will see that you are very small and insignificant.” Even though I had been 300 miles away from Mount Saint Helens at the time of this catastrophic event, I had felt a part of the volcano’s eruption because its ash had fallen on my car. Now, twenty-eight years later, I finally got to view the devastation for myself. Of course, much of the affected area had come back to life with healthy forests, alpine flowers and wildlife, but much was still in its moonscape-like condition. The ranger listed some amazing statistics:
*The eruption caused the whole north face of Mount Saint Helen's to collapse creating a HUGE avalanche of massive rocks;
*The avalanche debris, being several hundred feet high, changed the dimensions of nearby Spirit Lake and slammed down the Toutle River covering the riverbed for 14 miles with 300 – 600 feet high of rock and ash;
*The eruption caused volcanic ash to shot thousands of feet up in the air - it was this ash that floated north to Victoria;
*All the trees within a 150 square mile radius were either blown over or left dead standing (these are still visible today).
As the ranger described the effects of the eruption, my eyes were riveted to the landscape. Yes, I did feel small and insignificant compared to nature’s power! If we are in the way of a landslide, tsunami, twister, or flood, nature does not go around. It sweeps us away, crushes us with debris, drowns us with water, or suffocates us with wind. There is no mercy!
Yet, I AM significant in the eyes of the One who created and controls the power of nature. I am wonderfully and intricately made; my parts were marvelously knit together in my mother’s womb. Every day of my life was recorded in God’s book even before a single day had passed. He knows my every thought and His thoughts about me are precious. (Psalm 139.) God loved the world, and me, so much that He gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16.) As a Christian I am blessed, adopted into God’s family, and receive gifts from Him including the Holy Spirit. My sins are forgiven and I am redeemed. I was chosen to be His even before He created the world. He has made me a part of His overall plan. With Christ in me I am holy and have hope and assurance of eternal life with Him in heaven. (Eph 1:3-14.) And if chaos swirls around me God is my refuge and strength. (Psalm 46.)
How great is the Lord God Almighty! And how small I am in the universe. But thank you God for creating me and considering me significant!
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