Monday, July 27, 2009

Hiding Place

After today's thunderstorm with heavy rain, I walked outside with my camera. It was still sprinkling, so I returned to the back door so that I wouldn't get my camera wet! As I was standing on the steps, I noticed a lizard peeking from a nearby hydrangea bush. It looked as if he was just crawling out of his hiding place after the storm.

I am reminded that we all need a shelter, a hiding place, during the storms of our lives. And we all do have storms . . . some so very intense that we wonder if we will outlast the winds that bend us to our knees and the deluge that seems to sweep our lives out of control. BUT . . . but if we know and trust the Master of the Storms . . . the Keeper of the Winds . . . we, too, will emerge from the storm's fury . . . in His time.

This past week at camp meeting, an unexpected storm threatened to disrupt our service. We who sat in the outer sections of the tabernacle soon began to get wet from the blowing rain. Before long, however, we all crowded into the center section away from the effects of the thunderstorm. There we all sat . . . closer to each other . . . enjoying God's presence even as the thunder rolled and the lightning popped. It just seemed so much safer . . . in the center . . . close together. We sang, we prayed, we listened to God's Words, and we worshipped. To me, it was so symbolic of what should happen when a storm brews in our church, our community, or our nation. We just need to pull together, stay in God's presence, seek His will, and ride out the storm . . . together.

Bob, our song evangelist, later reminded us that the best place to be during life's storms is in the center of God's will. Just as we all moved to the center of the old tabernacle, we need to be sure that we are centered in Christ's good plans for us. And if we find that we have moved away from Him - even a small distance - and the winds of the world are getting us a little damp, He invites us . . . He gently pleads with us . . . to move to the center of His will. I can't think of any better, safer, more peaceful place to be - storm or no storm!

"The Lord's our Rock; in Him we hide . . . a shelter in the time of storm."

2 comments:

Nancy said...

BEAUTIFUL!!! And worth waiting over a week for! :) Thank you, Glenda, for taking the time to share your beautiful thoughts (and pictures!) with us!!!

Jackie said...

Having been a part of that service, I was thinking that what might have been a disruption actually resulted in a rich time of worship that evening as we sat closely together and reflected on the awesome power and majesty of God. Thanks for sharing the deeper message and application of that experience with your special insight. I echo Nancy: Beautiful!