5-3-2019

Good Morning All,

Psalm 27:5; “For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock”

    We are in the process of changing seasons.  We are approaching the season of tornadoes and thunderstorms.  They have already begun in the southern part of the country and they will move north with the warming of the days.  Yet the calls go out; get your weather alert radio, practice your severe weather drills, know where to go for shelter when the storms are coming.  For most of us, that shelter is in the basement in a corner or perhaps under the steps.  If you don’t have a basement, it is usually the bathroom with something to cover yourself.  We know the drill or routine when bad weather strikes; do you know the drill for when the devil attacks and wants to drive you with fear from God?  Where is your shelter?  Where are you safe?

    God give us faith for that very reason.  It is our shelter.  Through faith, we trust the great promises that God has made to us.  He shelters us from the storms of life.  The storms will rage and howl but we are safe in his shelter; his loving grace poured out upon us on the cross by Jesus.  This shelter is for us to remain safe in and, just like a storm shelter, we need to remain in it while the storm rages.  No one leaves the storm shelter to see how the storm in blowing and we need to stay in the shelter as well.  We must also prepare for the storms just as we should prepare our storm shelter.

    We prepare for our life storms by remaining in prayer with God.  When I teach this to the confirmation kids, I draw a triangle and place the number 1 on top, the number 2 at the bottom left corner and the number 3 at the lower right corner.  The numbers correspond to the first three commandments.  “You shall have no other gods” is on top because it is the prime commandment.  The second is about using God’s holy Name properly; this is done with prayer.  Prayer is the proper use of God’s Name.  The number three is the third commandment and this is about hearing God’s Word or reading the Bible.  Prayer is us talking to God and Reading and hearing God’s Word preached is us listening to God.  Commandments 2 and 3 are our “holy conversation” with God.  This triangle represents the shelter under which we remain safe.  Through prayer and devotional reading of Scriptures our faith can be strengthened, our hearts uplifted and our confidence in Jesus elevated.

    Now, when the storms of this life occur, and the devil whispers “be very afraid”; we can respond that we “fear not” because God is our refuge and our strength.  God is our shelter and nothing will prevail against it not even the very gates of hell.  Jesus has overcome the world.  He is our strength and hope; he is our shelter.  So, remain safe within the loving arms of our Savior.  He is our shelter forever and ever.  

Father of all mercies, shelter us from the storms of life.  Strengthen within us the certainty of your loving and strong arm.  Be with those who are experiencing the howls of the storms at this time.  Send them your Spirit that they may know your peace.  In the precious name of our Risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret