Sunday, April 18, 2010

Storm on the Horizon

by Debra E. Marvin

Late-summer rainstorm in DenmarkImage via Wikipedia














Psalm 27:4-5

One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple.

For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

Niki’s post earlier in the week gave me a new way to look at a shepherd and sheep. Western open-range sheep enjoy freedom during the summer but need their shepherd during the winter when food and safety are harder to come by. These aren’t the passive, easily led domestic sheep that we often think of, and they don’t like that transition from freedom to submission, but it’s in their best interest to be under the shepherd’s care.

Psalm 27 reminds me of how we too enjoy our freedom until, like those who run under a shelter during a storm, we find ourselves in a torrent of trouble and turn to our source of protection.

If we truly knew our value to Him
, we wouldn’t wander so far in the first place. When we function inside His will, in obedience and love, our way is easier, our goals more easily obtained . . . If we truly knew our value to Him, we wouldn’t waste so much energy trying to do things on our own.


Troubles will come, just like rainstorms, but those things that cause us sorrow, loss, pain come only by permission from God. They will never overcome His plan for us and are always of use to Him to bless others and make us more like Him. Trouble is never desired and is never comforting but I don't know of any I've had that haven't brought me closer to Him or matured me in some way. Or shown me how much He loves me.

Often, it's our own disobedience that takes us wandering far from shelter. He hasn’t moved away, we have. And although we can never actually go so far away that He’s not there alongside us, waiting, our actions make the way back into His will for us bumpier than it needed to be.

Draw near. Don’t wait.

Lord, keep us close. And when we wander, remind us with small soft rain drops to head for your shelter before the worst of the storm arrives.

Psalm 55:8
I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.
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5 comments:

  1. Amen. I love the Psalm. Also, similarly, Psalm 91.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Lisa and Dina.

    I've been out of my routine this last week and so it was good to focus on this and use it as a reminder to get back in step for the upcoming week.

    The psalms are so beautiful, aren't they?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Deb, thank you. I needed to hear this today.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I just got a chance to sit down and read this and Gina's Monday post about the trash vortex. The news this morning was full of fear and worry (as per normal) about the volcano in Iceland and it's subsequent effects on travel and the global economy.
    It's time for all of us who count ourselves as followers of Christ and believers in the living God to grab hold of verses like these in the face of the anxiety and distress of the world.
    One of the things I didn't mention about the sheep is that the most mature, calmest sheep are the ones who get to wear the bells. They are the ones who submit willingly to the shepherd, and do what's right even when he isn't right there in front of them. The other sheep learn to listen for and follow that bell when THEY can't see the shepherd for themselves.
    Believers who take Psalms like this to heart, who put their whole trust and care in the shepherd, knowing He cares for them, get to wear a bell and be a testimony!

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