"Hurricanes" - Monday Devotional

This week we're going to look at a few key verses from last weekend... It is my prayer that each morning you feel safer and more secure in Christ than ever before.  Let's look at the first verse:

Isaiah 25:4

4 But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord,
      a tower of refuge to the needy in distress.
   You are a refuge from the storm
      and a shelter from the heat.
   For the oppressive acts of ruthless people
      are like a storm beating against a wall,

    I am writing the devotional from South Florida where we have more than our share of nasty storms.  We are the lightning capital of the nation and home to numerous hurricanes (or threats of hurricanes) each year.   It still amazes me that people say they move down here for the weather... 

   I, like many Floridians, have hurricane shutters.  Mine are aluminum...and when a hurricane warning is posted, I get the chance to hang them over my windows.  They are designed to protect my property from 100+ mile per hour winds and rain.  During the storm, the sound is nearly unbearable.  People have compared it to a freight train driving right down the middle of the street... it is loud, it is scary, and it is very, very real.

Have you ever experienced a hurricane?  I bet you have...it just may not be the weather kind...it could be that you are 1 lost paycheck away from ruin.  It could be that you are scared to go to the Dr. because you just found a lump somewhere.  It could even be that you feel like you and your wife/husband are total strangers after years of "happy" marriage.  In any case, the storm in your life is very real.  

Look at today's verse...."You are a refuge from the storm..." is describing God.   That's what God does... He is the place we can go to when storms hit.  I love the fact that it doesn't say storms won't come...they will.  The Bible is telling us that when storms do hit...we have a place to go.  Why is it that many of us go to God as a last resort when we hear the storm raging?  I believe it's because we are either prideful or think that we have the strength to get through it ourselves.  Fact is, you don't have to do it alone.  You don't need to do it alone.  God is there.  Not as a last resort...but a first line of defense.  He is stronger than anything you may try to do to get through.  He is a healer, He is a peace-bringer, He is a restorer, He is a protector, He is a refuge.  He is love.  God is love.  God loves you.  

Next time you want to put up those shutters and try to protect yourself from the storms of life...remember that you have a shelter...a refuge...a loving Savior...ready to take you in and strengthen you against the challenges.

See you tomorrow,

Pastor Brian