originally published 9/15/19
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1
There is a significant line in one of my favorite Rich Mullins songs that perplexed me for many years. It says, “It’s more than just this fire here that keeps me warm in a shelter that is larger than this room.” I honestly didn’t understand what a “shelter larger than this room” could be referring to.
It takes me back to a Trek in Colorado one year when I was a youth minister. One of the girls talked about her peace and freedom from fear that she was able to maintain in the mountains when she thought about the old hymn, “This is My Father’s World.” She spoke of the peace of knowing that she was at home in a place that He was in control. I must confess that I was baffled by her statement. I was still enslaved to fear in those years, and I knew that mountain lions roamed those hills and that lightening was a real danger. I still had no concept of a “shelter larger than” any room. Now even the term “shelter in place” carries connotations of an active shooting scenario. This past week’s remembrance of 9/11 tells us that there are dangers that are so overwhelming that no one can hide or escape from them.
In a world with so much danger, is it ever possible to really be at rest? Is there a place we can rest from our fear? Thank-fully, God has helped me come to understand and even to feel that, yes, there is. It is in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91 is victorious boast in the ability of our God to surround us with His saving presence. Verse 2 says “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” When we put our trust in Him, then we are able to truly rest. There is an immense peace that comes when we are able to say about anything we may be tempted to fear, “He will be with me if that happens. He will help me know how to react in that moment, so I will not worry and fret about that situation now.” This enables us to rest.
This truly is our Father’s World, and we truly can warm ourselves in His sheltering presence. No danger can remove our peace when we trust this promise. No sickness can destroy our rest when we believe He is with us. No attack can inhibit our ability to persevere when we believe He is our teacher and provider. We may, with the utmost peace and rest, be sheltered in our Lord.
