Good Morning All,
When life becomes difficult, where do we
go? When you are a kid in school, you
usually look for an older brother to look out for you and to keep the bullies
at bay. As you get older, you count on
your friends to watch out for you. You
never get to far away from them, especially when the tough guys are close
by. You hide in their shadow as much as
possible in order to stay safe.
God offers us a similar safety but played
for higher stakes. Notice how the
Psalmist uses two different names to describe God. First the Psalmist uses the name Elyon (which means “Most High” or “Most
exalted”) and then he uses the name Shaddai
(which means “provider” or “all- sufficient”). So, in the first part we dwell in the shelter
of the Greatest God, the God above all other gods; the all-knowing,
all-powerful, always-present, eternal God.
We stay in his tent. We lounge at
his table. If you think of this in terms
of a middle Eastern king, we would eat dates, fresh roasted lamb or the fatted
calf, leeks, pomegranates, cucumbers, fresh bread, and the finest wines. We would sleep on luxurious silk sheets and
drink a mixture of milk and honey. Then
we would be protected by the host who would even risk his life to keep you safe
from the enemies that attack. All with
God’s love to invite us and encourage us and with His power to protect us from
the devil’s harm.
The unbeliever has no clue at the grace
that God provides for us as long as we dwell in his shelter and abide in his
shadow. We only get in trouble when we
leave the tent and go off on our own thinking we can stand up to the devil and
the world. We soon find out we are no
match for these evil forces. We are only
safe when we dwell in the shelter of the Most High. We are only protected while we abide in the
shadow of the Almighty. What a wonderful
gift! What a wonderful promise! We are to view this lavish meal (whatever
yours is!!!) as just a small, microscopic hint to feast we will share in
heaven. Take the most elaborate meal you
have ever seen or experienced, it isn’t even close. We get what the unbeliever can’t even dream
of. Dwell safe in the shelter of the
Most High, enjoy his meal and the time that you spend with Him through our
prayers and praise.
God
of all Power, you speak and the world trembles and shakes. Forgive us for our sins. Strengthen us so that we are ready for your
hospitality; we are ready to dine with you.
As you nourish us with your heavenly meal; use our strength to serve in
your kingdom. Through Jesus Precious
Name we pray, Amen.
God’s
Peace
Pastor
Bret
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