God's Umbrella

He will shield you with his wings! They will shelter you. His faithful promises are your armor. Psalm 91:4 TLB

"Stay under God's umbrella." These were the words of a pastor whose television program I was watching one Sunday morning as I was dressing for church. He was teaching his congregation about God's plan to protect us from the storms of life. He said that God's rules are not about making our lives difficult, but rather about providing shelter from the storms.

During our first winter storm this year, when the weather changed rapidly from rain to sleet to heavily-falling snow, the image of that pastor standing under an umbrella came to mind. In less than twenty-four hours, in order to protect ourselves from the storm, we needed to change from a light jacket and an umbrella to a coat, hat, gloves, and boots, and then finally to seeking shelter and staying indoors.

As the snowstorm raged, I started thinking that when we need shelter from the storms of life, we don't need to stay indoors or change our clothing. We have our heavenly Father's promise that He will shield us with His wings, shelter and protect us, and be our armor. All we need to do to protect ourselves is to "stay under God's umbrella" and seek Him.

Prayer: Thank You, Father, for all the promises You have made to us. Please forgive us when we rely on our own solutions, coming to You only when we fail. Thank You for always being there when we finally realize how much we need the protection of Your umbrella. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Judy Welch (originally shared on the Presbyterian Church of Canada devotion page)