I hate rain; I need shelter

Today I want nothing more than to feel God's presence. Our pastor has been doing a series on Sundays about "Recognizing His Presence". If I were to look back at all the moments in my life when I felt as though all was in utter chaos and disarray, I would soon find the missing links lying nearby. Those links can be a result of my lack of trust in my heavenly father and caretaker. Yes, life is harrowing at times and there are seasons where it feels as though the disappointments come in like a flood. However, those seasons that I felt the emptiness the most, were the moments when I simply lacked the effort to recognize His presence amid my circumstances.

I hate rain.

When it's raining outside, the last thing I want to do is be out in it. If you step out into the nasty, wet climate, you're usually prone to get soggy bottoms around the edge of your jeans, and nearly catch a cold if you don't dry off soon enough afterward. And well you can just forget about those torrential downpours because an umbrella is useless and you might as well just jump right in a puddle and encourage it even more.

I hate rain.

I hate the rain that is unless I have good shelter. Sometimes rain boots, umbrellas, and jackets don't always protect. If I really want to stay dry, I have to go inside and find shelter. On those days when I'm smart and stay in, I usually take it a step further and snuggle up in the comfort of my pillows and quilt and listen to the noise going on outside as the drops pound upon my rooftop. I don't mind the rain when I'm surrounded by shelter and although I know it's still going on around me, I have given myself ample distance from it's direct contact.

Much of my life in certain seasons has felt like a dreadful day of rubber boots and a jumbo umbrella just trying to dodge the puddles and keep the wet drops to a minimum. I look at my situations and all I see is an overcast sky and tons of rain. So I put on my gear, try to put a smile on my face while walking through this mess and then waiting for the evident effects to subside. I find myself walking through the rain in my life all alone, while forgetting the shelter nearby. I grab what I think is sufficient to get through it and begin striving on my own strength yet all I find in the end are a pair of wet jeans and a cold soul just dying to dry up and feel warmth again.

Psalm 91 says,

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

³ Surely he will save you

from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

⁸ You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”

and you make the Most High your dwelling,

¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

¹² they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

My shelter was so nearby but I was too stubborn and tried to do it on my own strength. But just as I stay dry in a rain storm when I simply go inside and listen to the rain from inside my house, God desires to cover and protect me in that same way. Today I feel the rain in my life and I want nothing more than to stay inside and not get wet. I will run to my heavenly father who will keep me enough at a distance to know that the pain still exists but I don't have to go through it alone. I find protection and comfort when I run to the shelter of the most high. I only hate the rain when I have to go out in it alone!