Who Are You Lord? : I Am Shelter, I Am Safety

Psalms 4:8 KJV

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

Psalms 46:1 KJV

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psalms 61:3 KJV

For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.

Psalms 62:6-8 KJV

6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Luke 15:11-32 KJV

11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:

12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.

26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.

27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.

28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.

29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:

30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

At 19 years old I left my parent's home to live with Brandon.  I had forsaken my Christian convictions and allowed myself to be persuaded by his parents that if Brandon and I loved one another and wanted to get married then we needed to live together first.  My parents were extremely disappointed in me but they did not keep me from leaving.  I had already broken their hearts by turning down a full Teaching Fellow's scholarship that I had worked years to attain, so that I could live at home and attend community college. Now I was leaving home and dropping out of college so that I could get a full time job to afford rent.  To say I was living riotiously is putting it mildly.  But it was not long until we were in want.  Living on our own, with very little money, was not all it was cracked up to be.  Despite what they say, you can't live on love alone, they turn your lights off when you can't pay the bill.  

I don't know how long the Prodigal Son was away from home, I don't know how long it took him to realize that he needed to go home to his father. We had to turn to my parents many times after I left home for help, it certainly didn't take us long to realize that we needed them.  And there was never an "I told you so", never a harsh word. Only loving compassion and advice.  They never once turned us away.  But it took us 7 long years to come home to the Father.  7 long years of eating, drinking and partying with the swine before we realized that there was a better life awaiting us, if we'd just come home to where we belonged.

I love the parable of the Prodigal Son because it is so much like our story.  He knew that he was not worthy to even be called his father's son any longer and he went begging forgiveness and to be given a place among the servants.  Brandon and I had made many mistakes in those 7 years we were out of the will of God and we knew we didn't deserve His forgiveness but we asked anyway.  And I believe that just like the Prodigal Son's father, our Lord saw us coming while we were yet far off, and He stood and He ran with open arms to scoop us up and kiss us. Not once did He berate us for our sin filled living, not once did He give us the punishment that we rightly deserved, not once did He cast us down.   Instead He proved yet again that He is our refuge, our shelter and our safety.

I think that we each have a Prodigal Son in our families or our Church families, either presently or in the past, or will in the future.  Can I say that we need to be in prayer for these lost sons and daughters to find their way back to the Father? And may I also say that we need to be in prayer so that we can welcome them home like the father in the parable and not the elder son?  I am so thankful and blessed to be able to say that when we found our way back to Him that there was no one who treated us unkindly, no one was hateful or begruding.  It is important for us as Christians to realize that none of us are worthy of Christ's love for us. Not those who have been faithful servants who have never strayed, not those who left and came home again, not those who are still wandering and feeding with the swine.  We were all born in sin and we must all ask forgiveness for those sins. Not a one of us is perfect and not a one of us can point fingers at another.  As much as He is our shelter and our safety, we must also be that for our fellow Christians who are walking afar off.  

Just like the Prodigal Son sought refuge with his father, so we must seek refuge from all our trials and tribulations in our heavenly Father.  He is our rock, our strong tower, our safety and shelter, and He will not turn us away. He will rejoice over us because we were once dead and are alive again.

The Prodigal Son

Like the prodigal son I wandered in darkness

And I traded my life for a world of good time

No peace in my heart I ever could find

And I got so tired feeding after the swine

So I believe I’ll go home and eat with the Father

The table is spread and they’re waiting for me

I can see the Father coming out to greet me

“Lord I’m willing to be just a servant for Thee”

Like the prodigal son I wandered from Jesus

But the Good Shepherd saw through the heat and the cold

The ninety and nine He left in the fold

Just to find this lost sheep that was hungry and cold

So I believe I’ll go home and eat with the Father

The table is spread and they’re waiting for me

I can see the Father coming out to greet me

“Lord I’m willing to be just a servant for Thee”