CHRIST OUR REFUGE: “You have been…a refuge from the storm…” (Isa 25:4). The steamer Empire State scarcely caused a ripple that autumn evening. It was 10:30 pm. Most passengers had retired below deck when suddenly a deafening blast rocked the ship. A boiler had exploded! Panicking, everyone rushed toward the upper deck; the melee that ensued could have cost many lives. But then was heard above the ruckus a steady voice singing Wesley’s hymn, “Jesus protects; my fears, begone: What can the Rock of Ages move? Safe in Thine arms I lay me down, Thine everlasting arms of love.” The crowd settled. Soon a deep baritone and another soprano joined in: “I rest beneath th’ Almighty’s shade, My griefs expire, my troubles cease; Thou, Lord, on whom my soul is stay’d, Wilt keep me still in perfect peace.” Dr. Walter Palmer, his wife Phoebe, and her sister, Sarah, had averted disaster that night, reminding us that there is always a Safe Place in troubled times.