A SHELTER IN THE STORM

Marcella Ward    August 3, 2022

I have recently been watching a hummingbird who made a nest in our patio.  I watched as she faithfully sat on her eggs in the nest.  Day after day she would take off to get some nourishment and return to keep her eggs warm until a special day when they hatched.  I watched as she would come and feed her hatchlings. 

One day we had a big rainstorm and I was thankful that she had decided to build her nest under our roof which was a good shelter during the storm.  I have to admit that I became worried after the storm that she might be in danger during the storm because she was not at her nest when the storm began and during the storm.  The Lord reminded me that he takes care of the birds, His creation.  The next morning I looked outside and sure enough, there she was faithfully feeding her hatchlings!!  Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.  Matthew 10:29 NIV

The Lord is our shelter during the storms in our lives.  He is a mighty tower that we run to when we need shelter from the storm.  During these difficult times when it seems like evil is closing in on us on all sides, we need to learn the lesson from the scripture in Matthew 6 about the lilies of the field and not worrying about anything.

 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  Matthew 6:25-27 NIV

The Lord is a mighty tower where his people can run for safety—Proverbs 18:10 NIV

Psalm 91

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty
² I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

³ Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”  NIV

“Almighty and loving God, fill me with your peace. For I am prone to worry, anxiety threatens to steal my peace. The world around me can be frightening, my situation perilous. The storms and trials in my life overwhelming. Yet, I know you are more than all of this. Fill me with your peace which passes all understanding. Help me to pray first, and worry less. Remind me that you will fight for me and I don't need to worry or be anxious about anything. For you are mighty and all-powerful, and in you I can find peace and strength. All this I pray through your loving Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.”  (Prayerist)

Marcella Ward    Author of “Stolen Identity: Plan of the Evil One”     August 2, 2022