If you’re going through a storm in life, this devotional is for you. If you’re just coming out of a storm in life, this devotional is for you. If you see a storm brewing on the horizon, this devotional is for you. There now we’ve covered everyone haven’t we?
Psalm 91: 1-4
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
We are all seeking shelter from the storms of life. Shelter for safety. Why do we like safety? Because it makes life easier. Lord give me a nice safe job with a guaranteed paycheck. Lord give me a nice safe car with a bumper to bumper 10 year warranty so I know nothing will ever go wrong. We are all seeking shelter from the potential disasters in life, but the truth is, the only shelter is provided by God. Life is going to happen. People lose their jobs. Cars break down. Storms come. Houses get destroyed. Disappointment comes knocking on our door and we act so surprised. This is life. God never promised it would be easy … and here’s why … we don’t grow in easy times. Faith isn’t even necessary in easy times. An arrow is only propelled forward when it is first pulled back. We all so desperately want to move ahead in life, climb the ladder, go to the next level and move on up, BUT FIRST we go backwards.
God is our shelter. We will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Now think about that image for a moment. On a hot sunny day, if you sit close enough to a tree, you will enjoy the protection of it’s shadow. It is the trees shadow that creates the shade for our benefit. God is saying, my daughter, come get close to me, rest in my shadow. He will stand tall and mighty above you and provide shelter, protection and reprieve in his shadow … but you gotta stop running away from him. To benefit from his shadow, you have to come close to him. God is offering exactly what you need. What do you need? He has it in his shadow – won’t you come close to him today to receive?
Verse 3 says “he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.”
He will RESCUE you. Repeat after me – He will rescue me. He will rescue me. Now, notice what rescue means. In order to be rescued, there has to be trouble. The damsel must be in distress to be rescued. You never say, here I am sitting on the beach in this sunny and 75 weather with a fruity drink in my hand … someone come rescue me. No, you don’t need rescuing when things are perfect. For God to rescue you, you must be threatened. But we sure don’t like that do we? No again, we like safe. We like secure. We like guaranteed paychecks, warranties, bumper to bumper coverage and security. But that’s not how God works because that’s not where faith grows. That’s not where lives get bigger.
So, he allows the traps. Again, if he’s going to rescue you from the trap, he must first allow the trap. The danger, the threat, the worry filled nights DO COME and because they come, then the almighty can swoop in and rescue you. He will cover you and protect you. HE PROVIDES the shelter. Your safety comes from him and sometimes he will allow the storms of life to strip away everything else so you see, it’s only Him. He is your provider. He is your shelter. And he will be faithful to his promises.
Maybe you’re trapped right now. You’re caught in the trap. The job is gone so there is no paycheck. The relationship is a disaster. The car is on it’s last leg. All your grand plans are falling apart and you don’t know what to do next. It’s a trap. And that trap is meant to steal your peace and your confidence. That trap is the enemy’s plan to hold you captive and keep you from reaching your potential. It’s meant to discourage you and distract you from your work. BUT don’t you be overwhelmed in that trap. Don’t you worry. God’s going to rescue you. He’s coming to get you out of this. He’s coming.
You are being sheltered. Sheltered from all that could have, should have, and almost did happen. Now lean in close, rest in the shadow of the Almighty and know that he’s going to rescue you. He will not leave you here. This isn’t the end.
In order for you to know that HE alone is your shelter – he ALONE is your safety, all these other things have to crumble. Everything else has to fail until there is only God left. You ask why things fell apart? That’s why? Because ONLY God can rescue you.
