Finding shelter under the wings of God’s unfailing love.

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“Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.” 
Psalm 36:5 New Living Translation

Janice and I have been to Park City, Utah, a couple of times, and the place where we stay is close to the city cemetery. As you might expect, this cemetery has a long history. Established in 1892, the first people buried here came to Park City to mine silver, not ski the virgin powder. Though they had come to strike it rich, many of their lives ended in tragedy.

In difficult circumstances, tragedy must have struck the Fueling family with exceptional hardship.

Park City, Cemetery, Park City, Utah

Though I don’t know the stories behind these tombstones, it appeared that eight of their children died before them. Three of these children are in the front row.

Arthur Fueling: 1903-1922
William Fueling: 1900-1900
Alfred Fueling: 1907-1910

A daughter and a grandson died in childbirth. And if you enlarge this picture and read Ernest and Minnie’s tombstone, you will note that they died on the same day; October 25, 1940; Ernest at the age of 64 and Minnie at the age of 60.

How can we sing of God’s steadfast love reaching to the heavens when we experience gut wrenching sorrow? King David, who wrote Psalm 36, knew the death of his children. He grieved the death of his baby boy born to Bathsheba. He grieved the violent death of his son, Absalom, even though Absalom had sought David’s throne. What is God’s unfailing love in the midst of tragedy?

David answers this question two verses later:

“How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.” 
Psalm 36:7 New Living Translation

God’s unfailing love isn’t always felt when escaping tragedy, but when we’re struggling our way through it. David hid under the shadow of God’s wings when facing tragedy, and so can we. God’s love produces hope in the promise that through Christ, God will always be ready to cover us in the shadow of his wings.

Text and Photograph copyright Douglas P Brauner