Shelter From The Storm

Have you ever found yourself in need of a place of refuge but could find no shelter? I certainly have. I can remember a time in high school when I was camping out on the ranch one night with my cousin. It was a wonderful night the stars and moon lit up the night sky and a cool breeze was blowing so we did not bother to put up the tent, in fact, we did not even take one with us. Instead, we just built a small fire and laid out on top of our bed rolls. Sometime just after midnight I woke up to the sound of thunder and the sight of lightening on the horizon. Not long after that the rain started and our small fire went out. We found little shelter or refuge inside of our sleeping bags and finally decided the best course of action was to walk over a half mile back to my grandfather's house. It was a long, cold, dark walk. But when we reached his garage there was an amazing sense of peace that overtook me. At last I had reached shelter, a refuge from the storm.
In today’s reading David said “for in you my soul takes refuge.” Can you say the same? Where do you find refuge from the spiritual, physical, and emotional storms of this world? Too many times we take refuge in our money, power, status, family, friends, jobs, education, or ourselves. While these may provide limited, temporary shelter, they will not last during the storm. Just like my sleeping bag could not provide the shelter I needed that night so many years ago. Sometimes we need to put our pride aside and take the walk back to the shelter we know can give us refuge from the storm. That shelter is God alone!