Members Exclusive March 2025
Members Exclusive
You Are My Shelterby Bruce BillingtonIntroduction Life is busy for many of us. While this may not always be negative, it is essential to frequently take a step back from being constantly driven and include some quiet time in our lives. This practice helps ensure that we come from the right place—a place of shelter in the Lord. God’s Shelter Finding God’s shelter is different from opting out or conceding defeat. While we are His army, standing on the victory that Christ won for us, we are also His bride, and He desires to care for and protect us. We must continually remind ourselves that the battle we face belongs to the Lord. Aside from safeguarding our own areas of stewardship, we are called to engage in other warfare only at His prompting. There will be times and seasons in our lives when we need to rest and seek shelter for various reasons. Leaders, and those in positions of responsibility, often feel their vital energies completely worn out and depleted. Spiritual exhaustion, which many key leaders experience, results not from sin but from service. When Jesus said to Peter, “Feed My sheep” (John 21:17), He did not provide him anything to feed them. Why? Because we primarily nourish people with the resources that Jesus places within us when we draw aside and seek Him. If we are not diligent about replenishing our supply, we will become exhausted. Therefore, we must learn to refresh ourselves in the Lord by consistently stepping aside and spending time in His presence. 1) Our Shelter and Refuge David begins Psalm 16 by saying, "Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.".Psalm 119:114 states, "You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Your word." These terms frequently appear in the Psalms. Psalm 91:1-2 – “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” The concept of shelter is a beautiful image. Unfortunately, many of us today might view it merely as having nice homes or places to work and play – but in Biblical times, adequate shelter often signified survival. It represented the difference between life and death. In many respects, shelter was everything. Psalm 94:4-7 – “He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you.”
In troubled times, what we need most is not an explanation, but a person – and that person is Jesus Christ. Despite our circumstances, shelter is available to us in Christ. He watches over us constantly, ensuring we are not tempted beyond our abilities. We must master the art of seeking His shelter whenever we feel fearful, worried, angry, or upset. Even in moments of failure, His shelter is always available to us. In Him, we find a place to snuggle under His wings, confident in His promises, and unafraid of anything. 2) A Prerequisite To benefit from His shelter, we must acknowledge our need for it. For many, this can be a difficult admission. We need to recognise that we must rely on Him.
3) Question Time
- Do you go without a day of rest each week? Why?
- Do you try to solve problems and difficulties with an action plan you didn't consult the Lord about?
- Do you feel that you are so essential to the current circumstances of life unfolding around you, that you just can’t take a break right now?
- Do you truly believe that all this presents a mild form of a Messiah complex – we feel that the entire world is relying on us and that we must fix all the problems? It suggests that we don’t truly believe God is in control
Psalm 31:20 – “You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.” Our experience of warfare will not cease until the Lord returns, so we must realise that unless God protects us with His power, our condition will be truly miserable. The only place where true disciples find complete safety, is under His protection; nothing and no one else can provide this. It is God alone who wards off every form of evil; while His light shines upon us, it blinds the eyes of all the wicked and weakens their hands. The Scriptures tell us that God hides us in His shelter from the conspiracies of man and the strife of tongues. If He did not do this, we would be exposed to a degree of warfare that would overwhelm us. God protects us from harm by wondrously sheltering us with His wings. Consequently, we have no reason to fear the verbal attacks from others, or their even more malicious and violent attempts to defame and slander us.
- He sheltered Noah in the ark for a year while the storm raged, ushering in a new era for humanity.
- He sheltered Jacob from an angry Esau for 20 years, after which Jacob emerged with a new family, wealth, and identity, birthing the nation of Israel.
- He sheltered Joseph in prison for 13 years, preparing him to be the Saviour of Israel and Egypt during a great famine.
- He sheltered Moses in the desert for 40 years before using him to lead His people out of Egypt.
- He sheltered David for 15 years after David was anointed king of Israel, during which time he composed most of the Psalms.
- He sheltered Daniel for 70 years, from which the future of the Kingdom of God was outlined.
- He sheltered Paul for three years in the desert and later in a Roman prison, from which the great writings and works that Paul accomplished for us, emerged.
- He sheltered John on the Isle of Patmos, and from this came the remarkable book of Revelation.
