There she stood, in the pouring rain, all alone, waiting. She was wet and her countenance weary. My day had been full of one aggravating thing after another. Just one of those days where all the “to do’s” seemed almost overwhelming. I was on a mission; I had errands to run before picking up kids from school, so I drove on by. I wasn’t more than 300 feet away when a sudden feeling of desperation grabbed a hold of me. I spoke out loud, “doesn’t she have an umbrella? So I pulled over, crawled through my van frantically knowing that there had to be an umbrella in this mess somewhere! Finally, crammed underneath one of the seats was a black one. I turned around, headed back in her direction, pulled as close as I could and ran to her, umbrella in hand. I wasn’t sure if she would think I was some crazy woman who was going to attack her, but when I got to her I simply said, “Do you have an umbrella? She looked at me with surprise and simply said no, so I handed her mine. All I could say to her was please don’t stand out here uncovered, please stay dry. She thanked me so much; I ran back to my car and drove away. As I looked in my rear view mirror, I saw her standing, umbrella above her, and if only for a few moments, I knew she was safe and sheltered from the elements around her.
The Bible says in Psalm 91: Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.” As I drove away from this stranger that I may never see again, those words rang as clear in my spirit as if someone was sitting next to me reading them aloud.
Elements. Things beyond your control. Moments in life that drop kick you in the gut and leave you gasping for air. I don’t know anything about this woman. I don’t know what’s going on in her life or yours. I’m not a very educated person (I guess it would have been overboard for God to have given me smarts along with my exceptionally winning personality and super cute looks…wink wink!) But there is something that I know better than I know my own name. And that is where my hiding place is! My shelter! Not only do I know where to run, but I know where to dwell. I could write a book, and I very well may do that one day, on moments over the years that could have crippled me or even left me desolate, but in His secret place I have been protected. Nothing has been or ever will be able to penetrate through the wings of the Almighty. A thousand may fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand, but in Him I will stand. Even when I feel like I am falling, He has already commanded His angels to have charge over me. Because I have chosen to make the Lord my refuge, there is nothing that will overtake me. He is with me in my troubles and He has promised to rescue me and protect me.
I pass people on the streets every day, but for some reason today, this woman with no umbrella has seized my heart. My kids are hungry, I need to go to the store, I haven’t bought one Christmas present, laundry needs to be washed, and I have one more test to take…. But, oh my goodness, I can’t do anything until I write and tell you that you never have to stand unsheltered and alone. So much more than I couldn’t stand this woman having to stand out in the rain, God couldn’t bare you having to exist without Him. He loves you so much that He stepped out of the portals of eternity, penetrated time and space, wrapped himself in flesh and came so that you could know Him! I’m not sure where this is all coming from, this usually isn’t like me at all, but there is a desperate plea resonating from my Spirit tonight…someone, somewhere is being drenched by the rains that are beating down upon them. I beg of you, please don’t stand there uncovered. Please come under His shelter. Please stay dry…..
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