When I think of March, I think of the weather, and storms. It seems that the old saying is almost always true, “March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, or in like a lamb and out like a lion!” When I look back, my memory reminds me of many large snow storms in the months of March gone by. You think you are headed towards the warmth and re-creation of Spring, and Winter reminds you that He is not done yet!
Isn’t that the way our lives are? We just recover from the cold winter, and we think we see spring coming, but another storm hits. We pay a big bill, and then another one comes in the mail, or we’re driving along after paying out all that money on a new set of tires, and someone runs a red light and smashes into us. We’ve gotten over the flu and then the next thing you know, we’re dealing with an infection. Sometimes its so hard. The problems in life keep coming at us. But Jesus DID tell us that we will have problems in life, right?
Before writing this article, an old Hymn from 1880 came to my mind and I couldn’t get it out of my head:
The Lord’s our Rock, in Him we hide,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
Secure whatever ill betide,
A Shelter in the time of storm.
Refrain:
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A weary land, a weary land;
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A Shelter in the time of storm.
For me, it helps to remind myself that Jesus walks alongside me through the storms. He is always there, never changing. When I am weary, Jesus is my rock. I am comforted by David’s words in Psalm 91 that tell me: “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
I am comforted that God is in control, so I don’t have to be. At the end of the day, nothing really matters except Jesus. When the storms come, and believe me they will…take shelter in the Lord. God loves you and that is what really matters.
It is good to be your pastor!
In the Lord’s service till the last fish is caught, <><
Pastor Chris
