The Safest Place

The Safest Place

"He who dwells in the secret place of the most High will
abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91:1

During the Chinese-Japanese War, an American missionary doctor was performing an operation on a wounded soldier. In the midst of the operation, there was an air raid and bombs began exploding in the nearby courtyard. A Christian nurse, who was assisting with the surgery, insisted that the doctor seek shelter so he wouldn't be killed by a bomb. To this plea, the missionary doctor replied, "Young lady, the safest place on earth is in the center of the will of God."

We live in a time with great economic uncertainties, with increasing threats of terrorism all over the world, and with pressures on the family structure never seen before. And yet, despite all this, for those who know the Lord and are seeking His will for their lives, it should (key word - should!) be a time of peace and of security.

The Bible uses a variety of words to describe this safest place. Psalm 91 talks about "the shelter of the most High". Who hasn't run for one of those park shelters during a summer thunderstorm; and if you make it before the rain, you can feel perfectly safe no matter how bad the storm. What a great analogy for the Lord because He is the ultimate shelter in the storms of life. No matter how difficult and constant the attacks against you may be, the Lord will be there to protect you.

David also describes the Lord as "my fortress" giving us the picture of a castle that no enemy could conquer and as "my refuge". When you look the word refuge up in the dictionary, you find this: "a place of shelter or protection from danger, trouble, storms, etc; anywhere to which one has recourse for aid, relief, or escape". For this, however, to become a reality in our lives, and not just another teaching, we have a part to play; we have to be walking in the will of God, listening to His voice directing our lives, and staying in right relationship to the Lord.

The missionary doctor was right, "the safest place on earth is in the center of the will of God". If you know you're not there, if you've been troubled by worry and fear, the door is wide open for you to run to the Shelter, not a place but a person, our God and our Lord.

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church