He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in Whom I trust." (Verses 1-2)
Behold, a king will reign in righteousness and princes will rule in justice. Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land. Isaiah 32
As we drove up to the Wendy's in Wichita Falls on Terrible Tuesday, April 10, 1979, we heard the tornado sirens blare and watched the dark greenish clouds form wispy circles that began to reach down like the tentacles of an airborne monster trying to snare us in their grasp. "Take shelter!" screamed the teenager at the drive-thru window. "Come inside now!"
Last week the tornadoes that hit Oklahoma City came with a twenty minute warning. Plenty of time to get to safety. However, the fear created by the devastation left in the wake of the Moore tornado only days before gave some people the idea that they could outrun the twister and get to safety. Twenty minutes and they'd be down the 35 or up the 40. Out of the path of the massive storm cell that dropped grapefruit-sized hail on the highly populated Midwest city. Only problem was, it was rush hour and many other people had the same idea. The tornadoes were wrapped in rain. It looked to many on their way home from work on a Friday evening like a normal spring storm packing gobs of precipitation. Not a tornado spawning weather system they should fear. Until the sirens wailed. The highways were clogged. Escape routes jammed. And now those who tried to flee were more vulnerable than ever to the monster's swirling breath. Three storm chasers were outsmarted and killed. Most of the dead were on the roads when, like Matchbox cars in the hands of a three-year-old, their vehicles were picked up and thrown back down.Those safely in their shelters survived.
After the tornado wiped out the whole south side of Wichita Falls, many people rebuilt their homes with shelters. Never wanting to go through another season with fear sitting on the top of their stomachs every time they felt a raindrop on their noses. Not wanting their hearts to seize up when spring produced a cloud bank heavy with rain coming their way across the blue Texas sky.
Shelter. The word is calming. Like an oak tree in the heat of summer or a gazebo in a rain storm. Like a trench in the heat of battle or a mother's arms in times of distress. It's where we go to be safe. For we who know the Father, it is His shelter we seek. Only we aren't supposed to run for it only when times are bad. We are supposed to live in that shelter. Because times are dangerous. And not just to our physical well-being, but also for our hearts. What does it look like, this living in the shelter God provides? I live in my house in Huntington Beach. That means I abide here on a daily basis. It's where I eat, sleep, work out, write, pray, clean. It's where I stay. Especially when times are turbulent, when the vortex of life tries to suck me up into its mess.
An open Bible was found in the aftermath of the destruction in Moore, Oklahoma. It was opened to the verse above from Isaiah 32. That's a Messianic verse. The king referred to is Jesus. He is a place to hide from the wind, a shelter from the storm, a stream in a dry place and a Rock Who gives us shade in a dry and weary land. A reminder that He is our refuge. In Him is where we should live--stay. No running for the hills to get away from the monster chasing us. Instead, looking out the window as it passes by. Like a kid watching a storm on a rainy summer day through the plate glass window in the den. She sees the hail and hears the wind as it knocks against the house. But she is safe where she lives.
How big must the shadow of the Almighty be? If I'm living in Him, I'm pretty sure He's so huge I won't even be able to see the edges of the shadow He casts across the perimeters of my life. The eaves of the shelter throwing protective dimness for eternal miles on every side. Like playing in the yard, I'm still at home. Or like a kid, scared of the neighborhood dog, runs to his nearby dad and grasps the man's strong legs for protection. Never far from the Father's reach. Never out of His sight. If we are in the shadow, we're still safe.
I remember one night at dinner when Will was choking on a piece of hot dog stuck in his throat. The family was in the middle of its usual lively conversation when it happened, so it took a minute for me to notice Will's horrified face. Immediately, I pushed the food on down his throat. He cried then. Scared and thankful. At least ten times before I put him to bed that night he thanked me for saving his life. Thanked me that I noticed his distress in time to rescue him. Multiplied a thousand times is my heart when I look at the Father Who has saved me over and over again from within the shadow of His presence. Like the psalmist, I declare: "You are my refuge, my fortress, my God. I will trust in You!"
Those of us who have been out on the highway trying to outrun the storm with the dire consequences of being instead vacuumed up into the maelstrom understand the wisdom of living with God. Not wandering far off, especially in the storm. Not letting fear drive us away from the only possible protection into the traffic jam that is this world. Sitting ducks for the enemy to ravage and destroy. Better to be watching the cyclone from the other side of the window in our Father's house.
The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous person runs into it and is safe.
Proverbs 18:10
Behold, a king will reign in righteousness and princes will rule in justice. Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land. Isaiah 32
As we drove up to the Wendy's in Wichita Falls on Terrible Tuesday, April 10, 1979, we heard the tornado sirens blare and watched the dark greenish clouds form wispy circles that began to reach down like the tentacles of an airborne monster trying to snare us in their grasp. "Take shelter!" screamed the teenager at the drive-thru window. "Come inside now!"
Last week the tornadoes that hit Oklahoma City came with a twenty minute warning. Plenty of time to get to safety. However, the fear created by the devastation left in the wake of the Moore tornado only days before gave some people the idea that they could outrun the twister and get to safety. Twenty minutes and they'd be down the 35 or up the 40. Out of the path of the massive storm cell that dropped grapefruit-sized hail on the highly populated Midwest city. Only problem was, it was rush hour and many other people had the same idea. The tornadoes were wrapped in rain. It looked to many on their way home from work on a Friday evening like a normal spring storm packing gobs of precipitation. Not a tornado spawning weather system they should fear. Until the sirens wailed. The highways were clogged. Escape routes jammed. And now those who tried to flee were more vulnerable than ever to the monster's swirling breath. Three storm chasers were outsmarted and killed. Most of the dead were on the roads when, like Matchbox cars in the hands of a three-year-old, their vehicles were picked up and thrown back down.Those safely in their shelters survived.
After the tornado wiped out the whole south side of Wichita Falls, many people rebuilt their homes with shelters. Never wanting to go through another season with fear sitting on the top of their stomachs every time they felt a raindrop on their noses. Not wanting their hearts to seize up when spring produced a cloud bank heavy with rain coming their way across the blue Texas sky.
Shelter. The word is calming. Like an oak tree in the heat of summer or a gazebo in a rain storm. Like a trench in the heat of battle or a mother's arms in times of distress. It's where we go to be safe. For we who know the Father, it is His shelter we seek. Only we aren't supposed to run for it only when times are bad. We are supposed to live in that shelter. Because times are dangerous. And not just to our physical well-being, but also for our hearts. What does it look like, this living in the shelter God provides? I live in my house in Huntington Beach. That means I abide here on a daily basis. It's where I eat, sleep, work out, write, pray, clean. It's where I stay. Especially when times are turbulent, when the vortex of life tries to suck me up into its mess.
An open Bible was found in the aftermath of the destruction in Moore, Oklahoma. It was opened to the verse above from Isaiah 32. That's a Messianic verse. The king referred to is Jesus. He is a place to hide from the wind, a shelter from the storm, a stream in a dry place and a Rock Who gives us shade in a dry and weary land. A reminder that He is our refuge. In Him is where we should live--stay. No running for the hills to get away from the monster chasing us. Instead, looking out the window as it passes by. Like a kid watching a storm on a rainy summer day through the plate glass window in the den. She sees the hail and hears the wind as it knocks against the house. But she is safe where she lives.
How big must the shadow of the Almighty be? If I'm living in Him, I'm pretty sure He's so huge I won't even be able to see the edges of the shadow He casts across the perimeters of my life. The eaves of the shelter throwing protective dimness for eternal miles on every side. Like playing in the yard, I'm still at home. Or like a kid, scared of the neighborhood dog, runs to his nearby dad and grasps the man's strong legs for protection. Never far from the Father's reach. Never out of His sight. If we are in the shadow, we're still safe.
I remember one night at dinner when Will was choking on a piece of hot dog stuck in his throat. The family was in the middle of its usual lively conversation when it happened, so it took a minute for me to notice Will's horrified face. Immediately, I pushed the food on down his throat. He cried then. Scared and thankful. At least ten times before I put him to bed that night he thanked me for saving his life. Thanked me that I noticed his distress in time to rescue him. Multiplied a thousand times is my heart when I look at the Father Who has saved me over and over again from within the shadow of His presence. Like the psalmist, I declare: "You are my refuge, my fortress, my God. I will trust in You!"
Those of us who have been out on the highway trying to outrun the storm with the dire consequences of being instead vacuumed up into the maelstrom understand the wisdom of living with God. Not wandering far off, especially in the storm. Not letting fear drive us away from the only possible protection into the traffic jam that is this world. Sitting ducks for the enemy to ravage and destroy. Better to be watching the cyclone from the other side of the window in our Father's house.
The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous person runs into it and is safe.
Proverbs 18:10
No comments:
Post a Comment