God tries to tell us this message throughout the bible using different phrases “fear not”, “I am with you”, “Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed”, “Be strong and courageous”, “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”, “I will help you”, and one of my favourite verses John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart I have overcome the world” I sit here listening to the wind harshly blowing outside our little RV knowing that tornadoes have already hit other areas of Florida, including where we just came from. Thankfully the camp was not impacted, but the community around it severely was. The pictures online tell the story of devastation and also a picture sent via text from a a new friend of her home with what looks like the roof completely tore off. We are under a tornado watch and expecting thunderstorms in the next few hours. I don’t think this kind of weather ever gets easier for me and I find myself feeling fearful of the unknown that is coming. Every time the RV rocks back and forth from the wind it tends to heighten my feelings and I am tense. This morning as the other ladies and I drove to the thrift store to volunteer we talked about Psalm 91 and I am reminded again of our conversation and how prayer is powerful and to pray for protection during these types of circumstances.
Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
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[b] 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.