Taking Refuge

Have you ever felt invincible? Admit it, we all have. "That won't happen to me. We'll be fine." This week reminded me how often the Lord is watching out for us and protecting us from harm. How fragile our lives really are.

First, the furnace died. In the middle of a huge snow storm. Great, I thought. We'll be bundling up in our winter coats and hats to stay warm inside our house tonight. But no! It was just a blocked vent, once David went out and cleared the snow drift away from the house the furnace fired right up and kept us toasty warm all night long (with a few more trips out to clear away the snow again). It wasn't until I heard later about the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning that I realized what a blessing our finicky furnace had been. If it had continued to run with the blocked vents... Well, needless to say I was thanking God for a warm house and for a furnace that wouldn't run with blocked vents.

Today, a puddle of water under my kitchen sink. Great, why always another problem? When I discovered it was leaking out of the disposal and running down the electrical cord I was just happy to see the water hadn't reached the outlet. Who knows what bigger problems that would have caused. Thank you again, Lord, for protecting our home.

And finally, this afternoon Shelly and I went to the store. The roads were still covered in snow and its amazing that we made it there and back without any accidents. But what happened in the parking lot at the store opened my eyes even further to God's protection that surrounds us at every moment. The little girl who ALWAYS holds my hand in the parking lot today decided to run ahead without me. A car showing up from an unexpected direction and speeding WAY too fast through the parking lot. "SHELLY!!!" I screamed in terror and she stopped and the car stopped and she was fine. I was terrified. In that moment I thought of all the possible outcomes and just as quickly realized that it was only by God's faithful protection that tragedy was not reality today.

But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
~Psalm 5:11