It is probably the very first phone number we are all taught to memorize…9-1-1. It had been something we were going over with our five year old. As her curiosity and knowledge of phones has grown we wanted to ensure that ‘in case of an emergency’ if mommy or daddy needed help either because we were not responding or if we were dealing with injuries with her brothers that she would be able to know how to call for help. We made it very clear as well, that although someone is always there to answer it is just for emergencies. We never want to call for fun because that means we could be stopping them from helping someone else! She assured us she knew the importance and we went on about our day.
It was Monday night and we were hosting our small group, at least those who weren’t home sick with a stomach bug. It ended up just being us and one family with a girl a year younger then Kennedy. We ate dinner and afterwards the kids played while we continued our conversations in the living room. My husband pulled out his phone and with a concerned look answered it. Knowing he wouldn’t answer unless it was something important I stopped talking. It was one of those parenting moments you don’t forget. It was the local sheriff department calling to do a well check as they had received an emergency call from the residence. We immediately called out Kennedy to come talk with the sheriff and apologize. He explained to her how important it was that she only call if there was a real emergency and that he had spent the last hour trying to find us. You see our daughter had been using my old phone (no data plan) which she could use for pictures and videos but does not have any capabilities to text or call….. EXCEPT for the emergency feature for 9-1-1. We had completely forgot that even when you have no service this allows someone to still make a call. When we talked in further detail with her we asked her, Why? Why did you try calling? And her response was, “ I wanted to see if someone would answer.”
While I grew up in a Christian home and even attended Christian school for most of my school years I don’t think I truly grasped the importance of another emergency line that we have 24/7 access to … prayer. It is an emergency line where not only is someone always available but they are there for any and every situation. There is no circumstance not deemed ‘an emergency’. For some reason in our western culture we have turned prayer into a last ditch effort instead of our very first line of defense. We have taken the Creator out of the equation until it appears that He might be the only answer. Instead of relying on what God tells us to be true of His character and nature we try to take control into our own hands our own capabilities, self reliance and when that fails … as we are left hanging on by a thread … then and only then we pray and we ask others to intercede and pray on our behalf as well.
I have been reading the book of Psalm almost daily. Songs of praise … songs of lament all of which God said print that, I want my children to have these words. His word is living and it speaks to us to this very day…to our very circumstances. Our God is the only thing unchanging in a changing world and we must read His word and speak that truth over us daily. Whether you believe it or not .. He is who He says He is.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1
When you look up the word shelter it means, “a basic architectural structure or building that provides cover.” So I want to ask you in your life what do you put your trust in to cover you? What have you built up as a shelter against potential life storms? Have you invested financially to ensure you have an emergency fund? Have you invested in your health by keeping up on your gym membership or eating a clean diet? Have you worked tirelessly to ensure your job security? While all of these are important and God expects us to be responsible and wise with what we are given … IF HE isn’t your Shelter, the One you turn to in every season, your first line of defense.. you are setting yourself up for some hard times. Because no one is safe from the storms of this life. We are all susceptible to financial hardships, sickness, natural disasters and even death. So while we are guaranteed to experience some if not all of these during our lifetimes we can rely on Him for our Shelter.
As Christians we know where to turn first, we should shelter in place but so often we try to rely on our own understanding, our own strength or what the world says instead of trusting Him, our true Shelter. I listened to one pastor describe the second part of this verse in a way I never really thought of before…. abide in the shadow. When we are near to God and in His shadow it will appear dark but it is not dark because He is absent it is dark because He is so near! Don’t give into your feelings as they are fickle but instead read and speak His word daily over you and repeat. Yes, it might be really dark, loud and even scary but you are in the safest place when you are in His shadow. The storms of life are one of the only certainties of this life, a very real product of the fall of man. You are either in a storm, coming out of a storm or getting ready for a storm. With that much certainty why would you not choose to Shelter with the Almighty?
I don’t know where you are mentally or spiritually right now but I want to offer you some hope and speak some truth into your situation. God is waiting for you to call. He cares about every detail of your life there is nothing too small or too big for Him and you know, why? Because He created you and He longs for you to come home!
You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have.
Corrie Ten Boom