God's Shelter

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I found this sentence in psalm 91.1 interesting. It is a statement of fact. It is an equasion. If a person does X, Y will happen. Whoever dwells will rest.

Dwell is a strong word that we don't use too much these days. It means to stay put, be fixed and firm. Someone dwelling is not moving.

The phrase Most High is a designation for Jehovah God. Jehovah is Most High because he is the only God. Every imagination or demon who calls itself god is none but an imposter.

Thinking about dwelling in the shelter. Recently, just before the end of the world on December 21, 2012, I saw an article about a guy who had spend thousands and thousands of dollars to construct and furnish a huge concrete ball house. He went to such trouble to avoid being part of the earth’s terminus.

Today, January 4, 2013 this individual must feel like a ninny. The end didn't come and he has a concrete ball house to pay off. In my childhood air raid shelters were the talk of the nation. The cold war had people believing that an atomic bomb end was near. Shelters dotted the landscape.

But why build such a structure? Shelter. Of course the question might have been begged, “What would those shelter dwellers have done when the peanut butter and jelly ran out? With a Hiroshima type landscape the world over it might be hard to find even a Denny’s or WalMart open.

Shelter is a relative word isn't it? Seatbelts and airbags come to mind. Shelter is relative unless the word Almighty is included in the sentence.

So, how does God shelter? Sometimes he shelters in Ark like structures as Genesis attests. David found God's shelter in desert hideouts. Eggshells and mother’s wombs are also examples.

God’s shelter can protect from all harm or it can bring death. It can be calm or tortuous. In the end it is the place of true rest. I imagine that Noah in an ark full of animals for nearly a year and without the “end of the story” chapter in his Bible reading schedule, might have wondered if he was ever going to come out of this floating animal shelter. He was, however, in the shelter and shadow of the Almighty.

What storm do you find yourself in just now? Do you see no olive leaves or mountain peaks to give you hope? Does the taks seem impossible and the door out hopelessly shut? Trust the Almighty in the high water and you will find rest and shelter, whether in an, eggshell, ark or concrete ball.