Taking Cover

1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High,

who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,*

2 will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress;

my God, in whom I trust.’

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

and from the deadly pestilence;

4 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

Outside my window this morning, I noticed how nothing seemed to be stirring in the deep green of the ravine – no birds flitted about, no squirrels were seen amongst the foliage. The wind off of the lake spread the clouds over the sky, filtering any light that the sun tried to cast upon the ground. The hint of impending rain in the coolness of the morning breeze seemed heavy.

Then, after a few minutes, I noticed a heavily leaf-clothed branch bounce – a shimmer of movement, then another branch bounce. Movement soon gave way to a squirrel running along the branch, moving from limb to limb – tree to tree in the safety of the leafy covering. This squirrel was taking cover in the shelter of the trees while still getting about in his morning routine. If it were to start raining, he would still be in the shelter of the leaves of the tree. Yet, as the morning wore on, the clouds were pealed back, revealing another beautiful day ahead.

We, as Christians, can take shelter from the storms in our lives by keeping in close communion with God through prayer, Bible studies, worship. In this way, we can find the strength we need through turbulent times of our lives. When we go about our daily routines with God beside us, nothing and no one can harm or defeat us. This doesn’t mean we won’t feel the affects of the storm, but we will get through whatever life might rain down on us. God will deliver us to sunnier days ahead when we stand firm in our faith – taking shelter in His grace and love.

Prayer

Dearest Father in Heaven,

Thank you for sheltering us through the storms of this life and carrying us through to sunnier days ahead. May our faith remain strong as You cover us with Your love and grace. Amen.

~ Wendy Miller