He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord. "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust?" Psalm 91: 1-2
Shelter is the theme of this years devotional with Back2Back. Every group member, along with staff, receive this 5 day devotional during their trip. As staff in Nigeria, we are taking a deeper look into each daily devotional. We are thinking about questions like: What do you think of when you hear the word shelter? In what ways does God provide shelter? How does God provide shelter to the less fortunate?
When I first think of shelter, I think of protection. But after studying God's word and being in the midst of the less fortunate, I have found a deeper meaning. Yes, God is our protector, but if something bad happens, does that mean I am not being protected by God? When we walk in the ways of the Lord we are not promised to live a pain free life. We are to walk in Him, no matter the cost. God's shelter is always with us no matter our circumstances. His shelter is a constant peace that no matter what happens, nothing can take away His love from us.
On day 3 of the Shelter study it stated that God's shelter is a "state of mind". That really hit home with me. In America we can have a lot of false shelters. We rest easy in our spouses, cars, homes, finances, our grocery stores, clothing stores....basically our modern day conveniences. Sure, we know God is there, but do we "really" know this? Do most of us rely on the things around us rather than God himself? Is it easy to just assume that God's shelter is with us because we have all of these conveniences?
In Africa we don't have any of the American conveniences. Everything here is so difficult and time consuming. Like I said before, the need here is so great. How does a widow who lives in a tiny hut with 5 children and no electricity and running water see God as her shelter? In their hearts they know God is with them and they trust the Lord to provide for them and to protect them. They have nothing, yet they are content with God and what He has given them. (Which is not much.) God's shelter is a state of mind. He is constant no matter the circumstances. He is constant no matter what one has or does not have. He is the same God to me and to the poor orphaned child in Africa, and to you. His love never fails and is unending.
To be honest, it is going to be hard to come back home to the modern day conveniences. Chris and I really like the pace of Nigeria. Being here makes you appreciate what you have all the more. Even our boys have been able to see the differences; one is in the education they are receiving compared to what the children here receive. We are trying to help teach them these truth's about who God really is. It's not about what we have, even though we are thankful for EVERYTHING He has provided. All we have is because of Him. It's about who we are in Christ and if we are living our lives fully for Him. Giving everything, holding nothing back.
There really is a lot more to God's shelter than what I have shared, but this is what has impressed me the most. The longer I stay here the more I am learning about God and His shelter. My heart is to know and understand more.
