A Place to Rest

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”  Psalm 91:4

Psalm 91 heralded the New Year for me.  It was shortly after midnight when I crawled between the sheets of my bed.  I reached for the light, wanting nothing more than to shut my eyes and mind and submit to the sleep which was pulling me.  As I turned, however, I saw my Bible sitting next to the lamp.  It is amazing the number and depth of thoughts that can course through your mind in a split second.  As I contemplated the passing of another year, it occurred to me how many unknowns lay ahead.

2007 brought both positive and negative surprises for many.  For some it was a job change, marriage, a new baby, or a move.  Others experienced death, cancer, financial challenges, divorce, or a child’s illness.  Regardless, 2007 came in innocent enough, but left its mark on all of us.  The chapter titled “2007″ is now closed and sealed, while “2008″ lies open and unexplored.  As I sat on the verge of entering into this next year of unknowns, I felt anticipation and more than a little anxiety.  What does 2008 hold for me and my family? 

Life is as predictable as changing weather patterns. Though we plot and plan for what may come, many days we dress for sunshine and end up doused by a heavy downpour of rain. So we learn to ask: What if?  Any momentary blessing is lost in the swirling uncertainty of what lies around the next bend.  Fear drives us to find shelter. We want an impenetrable place of safety, able to withstand the most vicious of storms.  We strain to hear a soothing voice to relieve our fear.  Too often, however, we take refuge in people and possessions that were never meant to hold ground.

With these thoughts churning, I opted to keep the light on a few more minutes.  Perhaps God had something to say…  

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”  (Psalm 91:1)  The first words I read in 2008.  The Psalmist must have understood firsthand my deep need for security.  Like the quiet calm after a storm, this verse offered me a blanket of peace.

God wants us to know him as our only source of safety. There is only one place where we are fully secure—under the arm of the Almighty. Not in our relationships or roles, and certainly not in any bank account or list of personal achievements. His rock-solid faithfulness is our true shelter:  He is stable in the midst of instability, unchanging in the midst of change, and reliable in the midst of the unreliable.  Nurturing trust in His unwavering presence is both our shield and rampart: a shield that covers head to toe as we stand in a violent storm; a rampart, or wall, enclosing us in a haven of trust away from the raging storm. Only under the faithful wings of our Father we can face each day dressed for any kind of weather.

2008 remains a mystery.  There are no guarantees save one:  “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”   Lights out.  Time to rest.