Shelter
You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
– Psalm 91:1-4
A shelter is a place of protection, it is a sacred place where we run to for safety. Yet the shelter that Psalm 91 refers to is no physical structure or permanent location, rather it is the shelter of the presence of the Most High. The problem with us, is that we only look for God’s shelter when we are caught in a storm.
But if God is omnipresent (everywhere all the time), then where can we find this shelter anyway?
It is found in our daily acceptance and acknowledgment that God is our Salvation for all time. We find our refuge in reading and reflecting on God’s word. We find refuge in talking with God through prayer and thinking about things that please God. We find refuge in fellowshipping with God’s people and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.
This “shadow of the Almighty” is always accessible to us, and Psalm 91 says that we should live in it. We should create an opportunity each day to communion with Godly people, to pray, read scripture, and reflect on God’s purpose for our lives. In practicing these habits we develop a constant awareness that God is indeed a shelter; a shelter before the storm, a shelter in the storm, and even a shelter after the storm. Under God’s wings we know we are safe even before another wave of trouble arises.
God, Most High,
I thank you for protecting me from the moment I was conceived in my mother’s womb all they up to this day. I have seen many troubles and had any many close calls, yet you have preserved my body as well as my mind. Create time for me to abide in your presence regularly, so that when problems arise to threaten my life and my peace of mind, I would remain steadfast because I’d know that their is no place on this planet safer than under your wings. In Jesus Name, Amen!