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Shelter in Place

by Angie St. Clair

“God is our refuge and strength.  A very present help in trouble.  Therefore I will not fear.”  Psalm 46:  1-2

I saw a meme recently that said “If I had known my last trip to TJ Maxx was going to be my last trip to TJ Maxx, I would have went a little harder!”

Lately, I’ve thought about a lot of things I wished I had done a little harder before this pandemic hit.  Tighter hugs, longer visits, more frequent coffee dates, more ministry opportunities and yes, more TJ Maxx!  I’m sure we are all dreaming of our future, after the Covid-19 restraints are lifted, and how we will do things better, the next time we get the chance.

In my devotional this morning I read this “Satan’s primary goal is to alienate us from the love of God.  If our enemy can manipulate us into focusing on our own desires, we will no longer see the Lord’s perspective.”  That really hit me right smack in the face, and it hurt.   As I woke up, the day after Easter, I was feeling a little down after not getting to spend Easter in my physical church and with my extended family and friends.  Cue the pity party.  From there my thoughts went to everything else I am missing out on, but not just me, I also had a pity party for my high school senior, my other daughters, my friends, my friend’s children, and the list went on and on.  I was choosing to wallow in what wasn’t rather than rejoice in what was.

It was as though I was stuck on the events of Good Friday without looking forward to the joy and victory found in Easter Sunday.  The waiting is brutal.

So, what is the Lord’s perspective?  There are some thoughts we may never know or understand but we can cling to the one’s we do know, His promises. 

He loves us, and He loves us deeper and wider and higher than we can imagine.  “…..to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…..” Ephesians 3:18   

He cares for us.  “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”  1 Peter 5:7  

He can and will work all things together for His good.  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28. 

Over the past few weeks I’ve learned some new words or have been reacquainted with words I haven’t heard for a very long time.  Words or phrases we’ve all been inundated with:  Quarantine, mitigation, pandemic, stay at home order, social distancing and shelter in place, just to name a few.  Only a few times in my life have I even briefly been exposed to situations warranting the use of one of these words, but certainly never all of them at once. 

I remember a time, when I was a very young girl, here in western PA, in the 1970’s an extreme winter blizzard hit and we were forced to “stay at home”, not by the governor, but because we literally could not physically get out of our homes.  There was no electricity.  It was the closest thing to Little House on the Prairie I would ever experience during one of the most memorable weeks of my life.

Another time I remember, when a was a little older, I had contracted Chicken Pox and was forced, by my mom, to be “quarantined” until all of those tiny, itchy, red spots were almost impossible to see.  I still remember the sadness I felt watching my brother and our neighborhood friends playing in the front yard while I sat inside, one beautiful summer day after another, wondering if this torture was ever going to end.  It eventually did end and life resumed once again.

One phrase that I kept hearing on the news and on social media that really struck me was “Shelter in Place.”    According to the Center for Disease Control:   Shelter in place means to take immediate shelter where you are.

But, as a Christ follower, I wondered, could Shelter in Place have an even greater meaning?  What if Jesus would meet us right where we are to abide in His safe shelter?  Not only when facing a global pandemic, but every single day, abiding in His loving arms of safety and protection.  If we are not abiding in Him, we are instead choosing to abide in this world and listening to the lies that Satan is telling us.

He promises to protect us, not only in a global pandemic, but from daily defeat when we feel less than the wife or mother that we want to be, when we are overlooked for that promotion or feeling rejection from a friend.  He may or may not choose to remove the storm, but He will never leave us unsheltered in the midst of the storm.  It is through the storm that we can have the most growth.

Why would we want to find shelter in anything else?  The distractions of this world are screaming at us to leave the comforts of His wings of safety and “abide” in the things it has to offer.  But, my friends, that is where fear and panic set in and grab hold.  If we are to weather the storms of life, His presence is vital to sustain us.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”  Psalm 91:1

In what are you abiding today?  Where is your source of shelter?

If your shelter in place is dependent on the things of this world, it’s economy, your job, your home, human relationships or the Covid-19 vaccine, they will disappoint every single time.  These things will only bring temporary security because they, along with this world will eventually fade away.   Put your hope in the One who will never change, in the eternity He promises when you enter a relationship with Him.  His perfect love casts out all fear, endures forever and promises peace that passes all understanding. 

Do you know Him?

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”  Isaiah 26:3

 “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”  Psalm 94:19

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