For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
he will hide me in his sanctuary.
He will place me out of reach on a high rock.
Psalm 27:5 (NLT)
I remember when we told Mark’s daughter, Sarah, that we were moving to Arizona and she commented that we would have monsoons in the summer. Of course we moved in the hottest month, June, but I had no idea what a monsoon looked like. In fact, I thought she was wrong. But, she was very right.
Living in California for most of my life, rain was not a summer event. Remember, we have the golden hills. That really just means we have weeds that look yellow from a distance due to no moisture. But Arizona is green in the summer from the monsoons.
You know one is headed in when the sky darkens, the wind picks up and Parker starts pacing. Soon, dark clouds cover the sky, the wind really begins to blow, booming thunder echos off the mountains, flashes of lightning streak across the sky, rain drops hit the ground, and before long a gully washer runs down the street. It usually doesn’t last long and once it stops, the sun comes out, dries the ground and streets, the temperature goes back up, and it’s over.
The fountain in my back yard seems to be the place for the birds in the area to enjoy a sip of water, frolic as they bathe, or fight over who gets the best spot. I watch them from my screened porch early in the morning as I sit with my Bible and latte. During the last monsoon, I watched two struggling to fly against the wind, barely able to keep aloft. To my amazement, they flew into an olive tree and each settled on a branch close to the base of the tree and waited out the storm.
God has promised to be our shelter when life hits with full force and threatens to knock us off our feet. He is strong when we are weak. He will fight for us when the enemy strikes. He will hide us and keep us safe. Just stay close to Him. Or abide. I like that old fashioned word which means to endure, sustain, or withstand without yielding or submitting, because it says it all. Abide.
The storm will pass and it will be safe to fly out. But for we who follow Jesus, abiding is the best place to be.