The Strongest Shelter
Psalms 55 (Amplified Version)
6 And I say, Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.
7 Yes, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!.
8 I would hasten to escape and to find a shelter from the stormy wind and tempest…
Are you attempting to switch shelters on God? Let me put it this way. Are you trying to get out of what you’re in without God’s help? If you are, then you are switching shelters on God. Let me explain this concept…
In the sixth verse of our text, we see David desiring to run from the trial that he is experiencing. We know this to be true because our text states, “And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.” No one can really blame David for desiring rest. Nor can we blame him for wanting to be out of his situation, for the problem is not him wanting to get out of a situation. The problem is HOW he’s trying to get out of the situation. With that being said, let’s look at how he is trying to get out of what he is in…
7 Yes, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!.
8 I would hasten to escape and to find a shelter from the stormy wind and tempest…
The seventh verse tells us that David’s strategy is to wander far away from what he is in and to remain there. Then after taking flight, David tells us in the eighth verse that he would find a shelter from the stormy wind and tempest. In other words, he is saying that he would seek shelter AFTER fleeing the problem, not while in the midst of the problem. I can’t help but wonder, “What type of shelter would he ‘find’ outside of his storm?”.
You see, if David were in the heaviest part of the storm, he would have to seek the strongest, most durable shelter. But if he were to step outside of the storm, a weaker shelter would seem sufficient, at least temporarily because if the truth be told, the weaker shelter would also eventually wind up in the storm as well. Then the number one question would be, “Can that weaker shelter hold up during a fierce storm?”.
This scenario is exactly what many Christians face during their storms. Instead of making God their refuge in the midst of their problem, they attempt to run from the problem. I know that it’s not comfortable to stay at the same church where everyone knows your business. I know it’s not easy to stay in the same relationship where you’ve been hurt. I know that it’s not easy to stay in a place where you are not appreciated. But right in that impossible place, in that hard place, in that barren place, in that lonely place is the Shelter who has everything you will ever need. Later in Psalm 55, David came to this revelation:.
16As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord will save me..
David realized that by having the Lord as his shelter, he could endure any storm that came his way; there was no need to run anymore.
So today, as you are facing what might seem to be the insurmountable and the impossible, know that you have a God who is your protection. He is the Shelter for any place, not because of convenience but because of covenant. He keeps every promise He has ever made, and one of His promises is to keep all who declare Him as their Source and their Safety. Always remember that He is God, the only shelter sufficient enough to weather any storm you come against.