Words to Grow On

Archive Devotions

May 16, 2005

In His Shelter

by:

Minerva Lopez

Psalm 91

As we live our daily lives we try to control every aspect of it to our liking and comfort. But, the reality is we do not control our lives. Every now and then something happens to remind us of that. We are truly blessed in this part of the world and we take things for granted. Recently, I had an experience that made me realize how little control we really have.

I went home that night aware that we would have freezing weather. My plan was to make sure I had at least one faucet open so the water would flow and not freeze. The thought of the pipes freezing and bursting terrified me. I made sure I had enough food and phone numbers handy in case the lights went out and the furnace would stop working.

When bed time came I had done everything in my power to assure safety. I could hear the wind howling! The forecast called for temperatures of 30 below zero by morning. I checked the faucet and the water had slowed to a drip. The furnace was kicking on every couple of minutes with no rest.

I lay in bed unable to do anything more. I was worried about the pipes, the furnace and the trees that were close to the house with the strong winds. I couldn't sleep and felt as though something would explode any minute. Earlier that evening I had asked the Lord to take care of the situation but didn't really engage in prayer. At that moment I realized I needed to pray. I asked the Lord to keep me safe, I talked to Him about the trees and the furnace and all else that worried me.

The words of Psalm 91 came to mind : "God, you're my refuge. I trust in You and I'm safe!" I felt sheltered. The wind got stronger and it seemed like it had hands that grabbed the house and shook it. It was scary, but I continued to pray. I reclaimed the Lord's promises and felt as if I was a child holding my daddy's hand. I knew that even if the pipes would burst or a tree would fall on the house, the Lord would not leave me. Psalm 91 reminds us how we should not fear the night because the Lord is keeping watch. I fell asleep.

When morning came and I opened my eyes I noticed immediately it was very quiet. There were no trees on the house, the faucet was still dripping and I was warm. I thanked my loving God for watching over me and keeping me safe. And that morning as I sipped my coffee I thought about how little control we really do have and how lucky we are that we have a loving Father that is truly in control of all.