Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of what is true. 
Today I look outside and see a sky filled with smoke and know that we will have triple digit temperatures for most of the week which is not the norm for Eugene. With the horror of Lahaina’s fire fresh in my mind today’s weather brings to mind our own horror-filled experience of having to flee from wildfire. Whether in California, Colorado and now in Oregon, wildfires seem to be wherever we are. I remind myself that in this present moment I am safe. Unfortunately the trauma experienced in 2017 lives on. So I look at these verses in faith and hope.