”When all that is good falls apart, what can good people do?” Psalm 11:3 

In 1981 the body of a seventeen-year-old was found on the towpath in Windsor. She had been violently murdered. I was in the Thames Valley Police at that time, my shift was on duty on the day the body was discovered and one of my friends and colleagues was first on the scene.

The murder remained unsolved for thirty-two years. Advances in DNA analysis meant the case could be reopened in 2011 and this helped to convict the murderer who was sentenced to life in 2013.

Reading the reports, it was clear that the family of the murdered teenager had never recovered from this tragedy. A statement described the shocking, distressing, permanent effect on their lives and the emotional scarring that they had all endured. At least the conviction of the murderer all those years later could bring some closure.

Reflecting on this, I thought of Psalm 11:3-4; “When all that is good falls apart, what can good people do?” David’s question is ours too. When illness invades, marriages fail, children suffer and when death strikes what are we to do? When injustice comes where do we go? Where can we find strength in the midst of life’s struggles?

Interestingly David does not answer his question with an answer. He answers it with a declaration; “The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD sits on his throne in heaven.”

His point here is clear. God is unaltered by our storms, however severe. The storms of life may be crashing all around us, but God is on his throne in heaven. He has always been able to work in tragedy; to bring His peace and hope to people’s lives.

He did so in the lives of Biblical characters such as Joseph and Daniel. In their darkest moments God was working. He was present with each of them. He was able to lead Joseph from a prison cell to become Prime Minister and He led Daniel from his captivity, empowering him to become the King’s counsellor.

He will similarly lead each one through life’s dark moments; His love is one of restoration. He is still on his throne, still in control and because of this, even when everything under heaven seems to be coming apart, we need not fear. He is there for each one of us to bring His conform, goodness and love (Psalm 23 v 4-6) into the trials we sometimes face.

Keith Saynor