Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Rpom Daily Devotional "Safety During the Storm" for Monday, 23 June 2014 - Read Psalm 55:1-8

Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Rpom Daily Devotional "Safety During the Storm" for Monday, 23 June 2014 - Read Psalm 55: For the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A contemplation by David.
1 Listen to my prayer, God.
    Don’t hide yourself from my supplication.
2 Attend to me, and answer me.
    I am restless in my complaint, and moan,
3     Because of the voice of the enemy,
    Because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they bring suffering on me.
    In anger they hold a grudge against me.
4 My heart is severely pained within me.
    The terrors of death have fallen on me.
5 Fearfulness and trembling have come on me.
    Horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh that I had wings like a dove!
    Then I would fly away, and be at rest.
7 Behold, then I would wander far off.
    I would lodge in the wilderness.”
Selah.
8 “I would hurry to a shelter from the stormy wind and storm.”
The psalmist wrote, “I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.”(Psalm 55:8 (NRSV))
When I was a child, my family sought shelter in the root cellar when tornadoes approached our area. The cellar was hollowed out of the earth behind our house, and wooden supports held the dirt walls in place. Flush with the ground, its hinged door led to three concrete steps going down. Many a night my family would huddle together alongside jars of vegetables and bins filled with potatoes. We sometimes waited in the dark for hours for relief from the dangerous lightning, wind, and rain. A strong hiding place is absolutely necessary for survival when tornadoes roar overhead. A hiding place is critical during other storms life brings as well: terminal illness, wayward children, financial downturns, and unending conflict. At these times, a dangerous and debilitating fear can roar through our hearts and minds. In Psalm 32:7 the psalmist addresses God as “my hiding place,” reminding us that God alone is our spiritual and emotional shelter. When fear interrupts our lives and drives us to hide in dark despair, God comforts, strengthens, and calms our soul. Sometimes God graciously removes the storm; but always God can remove our doubt and fear when we wait, pray, and seek God’s face.
The Author: Sharon Braner (Oklahoma, USA)
Thought for the Day: When I am afraid, I can pray and trust God’s promises.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you that we can be relieved of our fear because of the courage you provide when we spend time with you. Amen.

Prayer focus: Those consumed by fear
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