May 1980

Psalm 46

In May of 1980 having recently moved to Longview WA, my wife and I were startled by the eruption of Mt St Helens. We had studied volcanoes in school, but to live so close to an active volcano was not something we had anticipated. On May 18, 1980. We arrived at church for our responsibilities. We could see the column of smoke and ash billowing from the mountain toward the northeast.

As people gathered for our Sunday activities we were made aware of a few church families who lived upriver, closer to the mountain. Concern for their safety swept through the folks gathered. Concern for what might be next was palpable. In the worship center, up on the wall at the front of the auditorium, someone had written Psalm 46 in a large, beautiful script. Rarely have God’s words been so timely.

Whenever I come across that psalm I go back to those days of uncertainty and confusion. Yes, experts had been predicting the eruption for weeks prior to the event. Yes, emergency planners had warned people to evacuate the area and for those of us living downriver to prepare. Disinformation spread rapidly. I remember a phone call a few days after the event wondering if Longview had indeed been wiped off the map as some news reports indicated.

What I remember most, though, are the words on poster board in clear view of all who gathered for worship at our church:

“God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Selah” (Psalm 46:1–3, HCSB)