Shelter...

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High 
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty". 
Psalm 91:1

Have you ever needed a shelter in a storm? I know up here in the Northwest you think you have "storms", but I grew up in Texas where we have "STORMS". I have never liked thunder and lightening. I remember as a young teenager being home alone during the summer break. In Houston, we would have a short thunderstorm roll through almost every afternoon. During those storms I would be sittinig on the couch (away from the windows, of course) clutching a throw pillow tightly to my chest. When the storm finally passed, my fingers would be stiff from holding on so tight. 

Storms...fear...shelter.

As I have prayed this week, I have asked God to show me something else about Him. Tonight He reminded me of something I already know and have recently experienced.

This past summer I had back surgery. I have had problems with my back for years, but it suddenly came to a head in May. It became unbearable and within a few weeks I was having surgery for a herniated disk. It went surprisingly well, and the doctors said I healed very quickly. Just don't ask me too many details about those six or eight weeks....drugs do funny things to the mind.

Drugs also do funny things to the body. When I came home from the hospital they sent several pain killers with me. After taking them for about three weeks, I realized I didn't need them anymore. So when I ran out of them, I didn't refill the prescription. Unfortunately, I hadn't been informed of  the horrific withdrawal I would experience. Four days of no sleep, constant crying, jittery, depressed. It was terrible. During the day I could keep busy and seem almost normal, (except I was always of the verge of tears) but the nights were dreadful. To lay in bed, tired from the day and yet eyes wide open. To feel as if there was no hope, and yet know in your heart and mind that everything was OK. 

Shaking, crying...feeling dread. 

Then Sunday came. The choir sang a song I had not heard before. "I'll Trust You". 

You are my Refuge
In You I'll trust.
You are my Fortress
In You I'll trust.
I'll not dread the terror by night
For angels are all around me
So I will not fear.

 There was that word....dread. I had said that word the night before. "I dread nighttime..." But I was reminded that I have 

a refuge...
a fortress...
a shelter

The storms of life are a reality. There is no way to avoid them. We will face circumstances everyday that will require strength and courage and fortitude and determination. They will bring fears and anxieties and uncertainties. 

But there is a shelter... 
A place to rest...  
Under the shadow of the Almighty. 

I listened to this song nonstop for three days. I still experienced the withdrawal symptoms. I still had to walk through the valley. But I did it with the knowledge that I was under the shadow. 

This Sunday, I get to sing this song with the choir. I can stand declare "I'll trust You" knowing that when the next storm comes, I won't experience it alone.

I find my strength in the knowledge that He is right there with me.  I find my rest in the knowledge that He is my fortress...my refuge...

my Shelter....