Throughout yesterday evening, following ‘shelter in place’ orders passed down on Georgians, the term ‘shelter’ lingered on my heart and mind. As I thought about the term, a scripture (Psalm 91:1) and a song (Sheltered in the Arms of God by Dottie Rambo) came to mind.

The verse and song brought comfort, but it wasn’t until this morning that I looked up and read Psalm 91 in its entirety. And yet again, I am amazed at how The Word of God is woven together to speak to my heart and circumstances. It’s a Psalm written thousands of years ago, but it’s almost as if the author had today’s newspaper. I encourage you to read it all, as I do not want to take anything out of context, but here are some snippets of the rest of the chapter…

“For he will deliver you… from the deadly pestilence”

“Under his wings you will find refuge”

“You will not fear…the pestilence that stalks in darkness nor the destruction that wastes at noonday”

“Because he folds fast to me in love, I will deliver him”

“I will protect him because he knows my name”

“When he calls to me, I will answer him”

“I will be with him in trouble”

I’m most guilty of feeling anxious, uneasy right now. I literally have to stop myself from checking the 12 and 7 o’clock updates for number of cases and outcomes in Georgia. The unease and panic grows as I monitor the shaded counties on the map and realize I now live in one. I’m no where even close to being out of food and yet I am in an ongoing group text about my own and others’ grocery pick-up orders. I get online and look at what is out of stock at Walmart and the fact that I can’t buy things I don’t even typically eat makes me nervous. Somehow, in my deluded mind, I’ve equated looking at items out of stock online to the French citizens standing in long queues for an unsustainable daily ration in WWII. I haven’t purchased a bag of potato chips for my own house in probably 3-4 years and I can’t recall ever purchasing Cheetos, but for some reason, to be explained only by anxiety or temporary lack of sanity, I purchased 76 fun sized bags of mixed variety chips and Cheetos because I felt like I needed to stock up on more non-perishables. Then I realize that potato chips probably aren’t really considered non-perishable and I shouldn’t have wasted money on them because I just checked the Stock app on my phone for the likely 200th time in the past few weeks, and Yikes- the economy, our portfolio! This means I really need Delta to give me my money back for a flight I was supposed to be on tomorrow evening; I don’t want the credit to use later on because shared air is the most dangerous thing on planet Earth and I am surely too fearful to ever be in such close proximity to other individuals who might breathe around me, so maybe I’ll just take some virtual tours of National Parks from behind the safety of my desktop computer and never go anywhere again. I waste way too much time scrolling on social media to see how others feel and think about this, only to discover most everyone else seems to be even more on edge than I am and if that’s the case, then surely I’m not freaking out enough?!

Then the governor tells us all to stay home, and suddenly our ‘shelter in place’ is the presumed salvation to this crisis, and while I mostly understand the reasoning for the decisions, the level of government power and control makes me uneasy on an entirely different level.

Shelter: our shielded safe place from something harmful, our protection, the place we can take cover, find refuge; the place where I can prevent difficulties and unpleasant things from happening. Yet, as much as I love and have loved the homes I have lived in, and as much security as I have felt in those homes with people I love, have 4 walls ever truly fulfilled that definition- to me or anyone else? Is the house I live in really the answer?

Then I open the Word and see the sweetest picture that God painted long ago: God Himself as a shelter, a dwelling place; His wings guarding a frightened little chicken; the shadow of the Almighty, the only protection that really counts. The Most High, a shelter where I am safe, for all of eternity. Providential Protection, the reason not to fear the pestilence that stalks in darkness, the destruction that wastes at noonday. The hope and security of His deliverance, His answer, His promise to those who hold fast to Him in love.

God’s shelter was in place long before ‘shelter in place’ and It is extended to all who will call upon His name. The shelter of the Most High and shadow of the Almighty offers protection that far surpasses the limits of any virus, sickness, disease, or hardship we face. His shelter is eternal.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1

“They don’t worry me

For I’m sheltered safe within the arms of God

He walks with me

And naught of earth shall harm me

For I’m sheltered in the arms of God”

Lyrics from ‘Sheltered in the Arms of God’, written by Dottie Rambo.

Written by Ashley Fountain on 4/2/2020