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God Is My Shelter

2/3/2022

6 Comments

 

A Reflection on the Psalm for March 6th, 2022:
First Sunday of Lent


Psalm 91

R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”

R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

No evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. For he will command his Angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

The one who loves me, I will deliver; I will protect the one who knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will rescue him and honour him.

R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

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God is my deliverer. God protects me. I keep repeating those words, willing myself to accept the world-changing truth of them. These are easy sentiments to believe in good times – the times when we don’t much need a protector or a deliverer. But how easy is it to accept them when life actually has challenges? That’s where my words, doctrines and ideals are tested. That’s where religion meets faith.


There isn’t a person in the world who hasn’t experienced some kind of testing in the past few years. The external pressures of both a global pandemic and rising political unrest touch us no matter where in the world we live. And what has our response been as Christians? Have we despaired and lost faith in the promises of Scripture, or has our faith been strengthened?


No matter how I respond, I am still in the shadow of the Almighty. My doubts and despair won’t make Him flee from me. But what does that shelter look like? What is the nature of this promise that I will be protected from evil? I often get caught up in seeing the ill things in my life as evil, but my circumstances aren’t evil, even when they’re objectively awful. The evil that can be done in me is the theft of my trust in God and the loss of my faith. The temptation to move beyond a healthy lament of circumstances and into a faith destroying despair is the evil our God shelters us from.


That’s not to say that God isn’t also at times delivering us from our circumstances as well. His mercy has many facets. The times I’ve been lifted out of poverty, protected from harm and
delivered from illness, I credit to God’s providence. God doesn’t cause our circumstances, but at times He chooses to intervene in tangible ways.


And so I repeat the words. God is my deliverer. God protects me. But, also, God is my shelter. When the circumstances are beyond my control or even when my own actions have turned my life upside down, God is my shelter. My trust and faith in Him is fed by His grace, so that it is not so small that it can be blown away by even the fiercest storms. Like a good parent, He listens with perfect love as we lament these circumstances. He pours out wellsprings of endurance, trust and faith.


When things are out of my control, I offer myself wholly to God. I rest in Him. He is with me in feast and fallow. He is my God when all is well and when nothing is going right. He will not let the little foxes spoil the vineyard (Song of Songs 2:15) that is our soul. In His protection we are safe from every evil.




Stephanie Potter


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6 Comments
Lisa Matheson
2/3/2022 06:32:01 am

This part really struck me:
“ The evil that can be done in me is the theft of my trust in God and the loss of my faith. The temptation to move beyond a healthy lament of circumstances and into a faith destroying despair is the evil our God shelters us from.”
This rings so true for me. I started going back to church consistently about 3 months before the first lockdown. Instead of this pushing me away from God, it drew me closer. My weekly life group helped me to make sense of where God was in all the mess. Working from home allowed me more time to read the Bible in the morning. My faith grew. A mass shooting occurred and my heart felt like it was going to break - some women from my life group prayed the rosary together (for me, the first time). My faith grew. Circumstances weren’t always rosey, but I clung to the Lord and he certainly sheltered me from evil. ❤️

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Stephanie Potter
2/3/2022 07:13:34 am

God’s love for you is amazing! He wasn’t okay with having His daughter despair alone or lose faith. What a good, good Father we have to cling to!

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Alana
2/3/2022 06:52:39 pm

“The temptation to move beyond a healthy lament of circumstances and into a faith destroying despair is the evil our God shelters us from.” This struck me too Lisa - in Him is our hope. And I remember that day so well of praying the rosary right where I sit now and feeling His love and peace so powerfully and beyond all understanding.

And thank you Steph for this beautiful reflection. This part also struck me. “My trust and faith in Him is fed by His grace, so that it is not so small that it can be blown away by even the fiercest storms. Like a good parent, He listens with perfect love as we lament these circumstances. He pours out wellsprings of endurance, trust and faith.” He doesn’t tell us to shut off the lamenting. He listens and sits with us in the mess. He weeps with us. But He doesn’t leave us there. He takes our hand and lifts us up - because our hope is in Him for He has already won. Thanks be to God for that. Amen! 😊🙏🏻💕xo

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Stephanie Potter
3/3/2022 09:57:03 am

I had been sure for a long time that there was no room for real lament in my faith, but in time the Lord has made it clear that lament is a gift. He wants us to pour out our hearts to Him in faithfulness! Amen!

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Lori
3/3/2022 08:40:53 am

You’re capturing my heart in your words, sister. The evil can be so discreet at times, that I often can’t put my finger on the trouble I find myself in. But the second I run to Him, I find His rescue waiting. He is my deliverer. ♥️

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Stephanie Potter
3/3/2022 09:59:37 am

I think there's something to be said about how discreet evil can be! It's not an obvious devil luring us in a way that's easy to dismiss and ignore. It looks like an excusable response to a challenging situation. It looks like the most natural thing. But then we dig our feet in and dwell there, instead of in God. Whenever I feel the sinking quicksand, I look to the Lord. He redeems my despairs and comforts me in my lament.

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