Wednesday Words of Encouragement: Shelter in the Midst of Life's Storms

Last week I started sharing from a recent talk I gave about being in the midst of the storm.  We are looking at Psalm 27 and find that there are four things we can learn from this Psalm.

1. We are to have Courage in the storm.
2. We have a Shelter in the midst of the storm.
3. We are to Pray in the storm.
4. We are to Remind ourselves of God's goodness during the storm.

Today I want to look at the second point.  We have a shelter in the midst of the storm.

Psalm 27:4-6 (HCSB) ~

I have asked one thing from the Lord;it is what I desire:
to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
gazing on the beauty of the Lord
and seeking Him in His temple.
For He will conceal me in His shelter
in the day of adversity;
He will hide me under the cover of His tent;
He will set me high on a rock.
Then my head will be high
above my enemies around me;
I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy.
I will sing and make music to the Lord.

God is our shelter when we are going through difficulties.  We don’t have to fear the danger we face from the storm.  I'm not sure what you all are facing.  It could be a loss of a loved one, a financial disaster, or the possibility of sickness.  Or we can fear what others may do to us.  But the one assurance we have is that God will provide the protection we need.

Psalm 91:1-6 ~

The one who lives under the protection of the Most Highdwells in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

He Himself will deliver you from the hunter’s net,
from the destructive plague.
He will cover you with His feathers;
you will take refuge under His wings.
His faithfulness will be a protective shield.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
the arrow that flies by day,
the plague that stalks in darkness,
or the pestilence that ravages at noon.

The image I get is of the giant eagles in the book and movie, Lord of the Rings.  They were huge.  I can picture the Lord as one of those giant eagles, spreading His wings and giving us a safe place to take shelter and hide as He wraps his wings around us.

Ladies, you do not have to fear.  God is on your side.  He is all around you.  If you spend time with him, He will provide that rest and shelter you need.  Yet, how many of us pace back and forth and wring our hands, trying to find a solution in our own strength?  How many of us run to the phone to call family members or friends?  How often to we turn to social media to pour out our hurt and frustration? 

God is quietly waiting for you to turn to him.  Sometimes we forget that we have a unique relationship and connection to God.  We can get distracted by the trials of life.  When you are going through a storm, does your life reflect the connection you have with God?  Does your life reflect your dependency upon your Heavenly Father? 

He wants to protect you with those wings, but that requires us going to Him and settling down under them during the storm.  Stop, settle in under God's shelter.  Allow Him to provide you the protection and shelter you need when going through hard times.