“Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those assembled there a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.”
After I left work, I looked up, and saw the sky was dark, black, and mean looking. It looked like not only rain, but a kind of storm you seek shelter from. This was not a kind of storm that you would think it would be fun to go out on the driveway and get sprinkled on, but rather the kind of storm you would get soaked to the bone in a matter of seconds. On the drive home, the shelter from the truck was like I had an armed guard around me shielding me from the enemy in a time of war.
As I read today’s verse it hit me; Jesus is our shelter and canopy. I have been in the heat of a summer day as well as the bitter cold of winter. While I was in those extreme conditions, I knew a shelter that was cool in the summer and warm in the winter was waiting for me when I was home.
In life, we don’t get to choose the atmosphere, nor do we get to push the easy button and have fun all the time. Jesus said in Matthew 5:45 “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” With this mind, verse 5-6 in Isaiah makes a ton of sense. We cannot avoid the turmoil this world will bring but the Lord does provide a shelter for his righteous people. He says it will be a canopy of glory and a shelter of shade in the heat. A hiding place in the storms of life.
Old movies are great for tag lines that span time. One goes like this, “Don’t you have enough sense to come in out of the rain?” If you are not following Jesus and getting to know Him, it will be like you are the only person who does not have sense enough to come in out of rain. Without knowing it, the sun could be cooking you and rain could be soaking you so that all hope is gone. But knowing the Lord has made for us a canopy makes enduring the hard times better. Would you rather wait out the storm under a tree or in the house, it is your choice. The Lord is waiting for you to come under the shelter. You do not have to have a special pass or have completed some sabbatical for you to enjoy the shelter of the Lord. His arms are open wide ready to welcome you.
Last point, how do you recognize the shelter? I mean, does it have a neon sign pointing to it? Does it have an address we can look up? The answer is yes and yes, it is called the Bible. The more you read it and study it the more you recognize the shelter of the Lord. Without it, you could spend a lot of time enduring the storms and heat of life. Read the Bible every day! Study the Bible every day! The last time I checked, no one says no to a cool glass of water after a long hot day in the sun or a warm fire in the winter.
Prayer: Father, your Word promises to be a shelter during the storms of life. Thank you for covering your righteous with a shield of favor (Psalm 5:12) and under eagle’s wings (Psalm 91:1). We know we are in a world full of sin but you came so that we would life, and life more abundantly. I pray that we recognize that we don’t have to sit in the mud puddle of life hoping to see you move. Thank you that you have already given us all power to tread upon the enemy and walk in victory. If you Word says it than I believe it. In Jesus name, amen.
Let It Go 
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