SHELTER IN PLACE

“SHELTER IN PLACE,” I can still remember the first time I heard the phrase.  On April 16, 2007 at Virginia Tech, a lone gunman went on a shooting rampage. The alarm went out and students were told to “Shelter in Place.”  The authorities were not sure who they were searching for, how many shooters were involved, their location or if and when they would strike again.  Students were instructed to lock all doors and stay where they were until further notice.  This limited the number of people on the street as police conducted a search for the gunman and also lowered the risk of more victims being shot down by the perpetrator or getting caught in police crossfire.  It was finally learned that the lone gunman had committed suicide and the “All Clear” signal was given to allow students to leave their shelters.  Since that time, there have been terroristic shootings in more schools, malls, coffee shops, military bases and even churches and we wonder where can we “shelter in place?” 

This has been a week of terror in France with terrorists entering a newspaper office and killing several people.  As I watched the story unfold on a 24 hour news network, fear threatened to paralyze the freedom I have always enjoyed and destroy my peaceful existence.  Is there no place of safety?  What if?  Could it happen here?  As I continued to watch, God spoke these words to my heart, “shelter in place.”  The Peace of God flowed over me and His Word filled my heart.

Psalms 91:1-2 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him will I trust.

YES, there is a place of safety; a place we can run to when the affairs of the world threaten to shackle us with fear.  Proverbs 18:10 tells us “The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”  God is MY refuge, MY fortress, MY strong tower; in HIM will I trust.

If confusion is clouding your mind, if fear has a firm grip on your heart and your circumstances threaten to overwhelm you, it is time to “SHELTER IN PLACE.”  Find that “secret place” in God and REST!  Say His Name; JESUS!  It is a STRONG TOWER.  There is NO place of safety outside the “shadow of the Almighty.”  It is there that God will restore your soul.  It is in Him that the crooked path will become straight.  The storm will pass over, the “all clear” will sound, but for today, “shelter in place.”