Protection 7 ~ Shelter

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≥≥This post is about "Shelter", the 7th topic in our Protection series.

The word "Shelter" occurs 24 times in 23 verses in the

in the New International Version.

Here are the 6 verses that I wanted to use:

"For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock."
–Psalm 27:5

"In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues."
–Psalm 31:20

"I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm."
–Psalm 55:8

"I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah"
–Psalm 61:4

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."
–Psalm 91:1

"Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor."
–Ecclesiastes 7:12

Of all of these gr8t Scriptures, the one that "stuck" out to me was the first one.

(The last one I thought was very interesting, though...)

Here is Psalm 27:5 in the King James Version:

"For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock." (all italics ~ mine)

The King James Version uses the word "Pavilion" for shelter.

Pavilion comes from the Latin word "Papilio" which means "butterfly; tent."

Can you see the picture of a tent looking like a butterfly?

Maybe like this one:

(i can see it!!)

Hmmmmmm.......

Reminds me of our first post on January 1 for this Protection series.

"Wings"

• Psalm 17:8-9 in The Message Bible:

"Keep Your eye on me; hide me under Your cool wing feathers
from the wicked who are out to get me, from mortal enemies closing in."

Now where I come from...the shelters look kinda like this:

I have had some great memories in shelters like this and

one awful one.

Last year, my husband and I were meeting some families with their

children for a picnic at our local park.

Well...everything was fine when we were driving there.

All of a sudden the sky turned dark and it began to rain.

We thought...we're OK, we are under this shelter house.

Well...those rain drops started coming down harder

and harder

and harder...

Next thing we knew they were coming at us in horizontal lines (Yikes!)

In a flash, we were soaked to our skin!!

The children started crying.

The adults weren't too far from it.

Because we looked out the parking lot a stone's throw away

and we could barely see our cars!!

It was raining that hard!!

That is one event in a shelter house that I will never forget!!

So much for our picnic!!


While doing a search for shelter, I came upon this shelter in

England...

A Majestic Fish Tail Shelter!

Located in England at Blackpool’s newly regenerated South Shore Promenade, the “Rotating Shelter” by Ian McChesney is an 8-meter-tall wind vane that will counter the strong sea winds and shelter the inhabitants sitting at the base. The shelter is finished with resilient “Duplex” stainless steel and stands tall at eight meters. Sitting on a turntable (4-meter diameter) with a built-in damper to control the speed of rotation, the shelter is designed to rotate according to the prevailing wind direction. The radical shelter works around two key elements - the vane, which rotates the structure - and a baffle that protects the occupants from the furious sea wind. The shelter is not just functional in use, but also boasts an artistic design, which bestowed it with the prestigious Civic Trust Award.

"Sitting on a turntable (4-meter diameter) with a built-in damper to control the speed of rotation, the shelter is designed to rotate according to the prevailing wind direction."

God is our shelter.

We live in a rotating, turning, sometimes Tilt-a-World – World.

God is still our shelter when our world experiences some "strong furious sea

wind".

Sometimes we are bent against that strong wind.

Sometimes we fall down when the we can't stand up anymore.

Praise God that He is our "vane and baffle" to get between us and that

wind!!

We may be pushing against that wind, trying for all our might to stand up.

We may be pushed down to the ground...

But God...

But God is our shelter from the storm.

But God is our "hand up" when we are down.

He helps us brush ourselves off and binds our wounds.

He helps us learn from those falls.

We may experience trials and storms in our lives,

But God is our Protector.

Charles Spurgeon says it this way:

"For in the time of trouble, that needy time, that time when others forsake me, he shall hide me in his pavilion: he shall give me the best of shelter in the worst of danger. The royal pavilion was erected in the centre of the army, and around it all the mighty men kept guard at all hours; thus in that divine sovereignty which almighty power is sworn to maintain, the believer peacefully is hidden, hidden not by himself furtively, but by the king, who hospitably entertains him."

He shall give me the best of shelter in the worst of danger.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,

'Til Next Post,

Debbie G.