Rainy Day Revelations

As I sit here typing I am comfortably perched in the sill of a two-story window that just so happens to be my favorite space in my home. I’m dry, warm, and completely safe; the storm raging outside is no threat to me as long as I remain on this side of the glass. If I step outside I will surely be drenched, cold, and have no way of protecting myself from the imminent consequences. While enjoying the pitter patter of the rain and attempting to pep talk myself into doing homework I had a bit of a revelation: this is what life with Jesus is like.  Not the pep talk or homework part, but the part about safety, security, and shelter. Jesus is the barrier the guards my heart from the outside world. He keeps my fragile heart safe as long as I stay “inside.” The moment I attempt to escape His grasp or His will I am no longer shielded from the unnecessary pain of the world that is so easily avoided by simply acting in obedience.

In Psalm 91 he promises this to be true:

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.“Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him  and show him my salvation.”

How cool is that? The God of the Universe, who literally spoke the earth into motion, cares so deeply about me that he would be my shelter and fortress. He so longs to sit in the quiet moments of life with me and just be. He delights so deeply in the time we spend together in the safety that only He can offer.

Let us be a people who rest in the shadow of the Most High. Let us not try to live life on the other side of the glass where we were never intended to function and where pain is inevitable. Let us be faithful followers of a good God who loves to love His children.