Our area has been through some rough storms over the past few months. A few weeks ago, we were in the mall while it was raining. We went into a store to see a particular shirt. As we went in, the employee said she had just received a text from the mall management that we were going to need to go to a sheltered area soon if the storm worsens. Then a few days later, we were at home around noon when all of a sudden the house got dark around noon. I looked outside and street lights were coming on. We quickly made it to an interior room for shelter to ride out the storm. These series of storms reminded me of some of the things we’ve been through this year. We’ve had to shelter ourselves in God on multiple occasions this year. Where do you go for shelter when the storms of life come?
In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul laid out some of the storms he had been through. He said five time he had been whipped with thirty nine lashes and three times with rods. He had been shipwrecked and spent time adrift at sea. He faced raging rivers and robbers while traveling for the Lord. He also had sleepless nights, gone without food and not had enough clothes to keep him warm. Then in chapter 4:8-9 he encouraged us by saying. “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed” (NLT). I love that he said “we” in those verses. All of go through them, but when we shelter ourselves in God, we will not be destroyed by what life throws at us.
Psalm 32:7 says, “For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.” David wrote this song during one of the storms he faced. It’s a great reminder that while each of us will go through storms, when we run to the Father, He protects us. We may lose everything, but we stay protected in Him. I love that God surrounds us with songs of victory in times when we feel like we’re being defeated. Even though the enemy comes to steal kill and destroy, and even though he may appear to be successful against you at times, God is there sing songs of victory over you. Psalm 91:1 reminds us, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Not only do we find protection from the storm in Him, we can also find rest in our times of trouble as we shelter in Him.
Photo by Jonathan Marchal on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 