Shelter from the storm (Isaiah 4)

 Isaiah 4:6 For over all, his glory will be shelter and protection: shade from the parching heat of the day, refuge and cover from storm and rain. 

There are so many things in the world that daily get in our way. It is important to remember that God never promised our life on earth would be all sunshine and rainbows (that’s what heaven will be). All people, good and bad, will have obstacles in their path that they will have to overcome. And sometimes, it may feel that someone’s obstacles are bigger than others or they seem to keep piling up. We all will suffer many inconveniences, have to carry many burdens. Think of God’s love like an umbrella. As we walk through the rain, our umbrella is like our relationship with God. Even though we have to across the crowded parking lot in the pouring rain, it is open and covers us. Now, having this umbrella doesn’t mean you won’t get wet every once in a while. Just as we remind ourselves to fix our umbrella when it has a hole, or hold it better to cover us better, or even get a new one when it has broken, we also have to fix our relationship with God sometimes. We can fix the holes by going to confession and fully accepting God again into our lives. 

Those who do not have God suffer through hard times and come out overwhelmed and destroyed. It is hard to those who do not have God to hear that they can trust in God during their hard times. They might think that God is against them. But he is not. He is right there with them, wanting to offer them shelter if they would just open up to him. They have an umbrella and when they open it, is it full of holes. Or they refuse to use it, or don’t even have one. Why go through life without fixing those holes or allowing oneself to become drenched each time it rains? Why not seek the one thing that offers comfort to complete the tasks you were assigned to do?

What we need to remember is those who trust in the Lord have refuge. In the midst of all the things being thrown at us in this world, we can turn to God for shelter. We still have to endure the pains and sufferings of this world, but we have God with us to comfort us through those troublesome times. Knowing that we are called to endure just as Jesus did, and through our enduring, God’s light will shine upon and through us.  It is hard for some people to truly understand we are of this world for a short time. And those trials we face are temporary. We are to strive for our future home, working through all the trials with faith. Faith that there is something to be learned in every instance. Faith that our trials may actually be for someone else’s benefit, even when we don’t understand it. Faith that God is in control and is cleansing us for our eternal home. Faith that those who continue pushing through all the wreckage of this world will have shelter from the storm.