Sometimes it seems trouble is everywhere. We survive one storm only to see those dark clouds forming again. Some storms are short-lived; they bring a downpour but quickly dissipate. We are able to walk outside, get on with what we were doing when the downpour began. Other storms last longer; they get our attention and often keep us barricaded from living.
Storms remind us of how sweet and soothing the sunshine can be. Storms also bring rain, cleansing the earth; making everything fresh again. Rain nourishes the soil, encourages flowers to grow strong and beautiful. The first minutes following a storm are filled with calm, with relief and a new perspective. We have opportunity to start over with a clean slate.
It is during the storms of life we seek shelter: running to the comfort and safety of our homes, or as we see in the animal world, chicks run to the shelter found under a parent's wings. This is the vision I get when reading the verse today. God is our refuge. He is the shelter from every storm. And there will be storms.
Even those who do not profess to have faith, or feel a close bond with the God of the universe, will often turn to this invisible being when the world around them crashes in. Remember 911? Remember how so many of us filled the churches that evening? We flooded the local cathedrals, looking for what? Shelter? Safety? Help?
But, once the storm passed, we returned to our homes; we continued living as usual. For many though, life changed that day. Perspective changed and the true shelter became obvious and we would return to that place often, looking for the rainbow which signifies the storm is over. During the tumultuous seasons we need God, we need to hear his voice and feel the comfort his shelter provides.
There is daily shelter in God's presence and we can find it when we look.
"Be still, and
know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10)
Psalm 46
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