Under the Shelter

The Heavens
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
—Romans 1:20 (NIV)

The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech and night-to-night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens, and its circuit to the other end of them; and there is nothing hidden from its heat.”
—Psalm19:1–6 (NASB)

As a small child, I would lie on our porch and count stars. My sister, Beverly, and I would find lots of animal and objects in the sky, but we would fall asleep long before we counted all of them.
I imagine that David, in the fields at night, was a stargazer. Night after night, he tended his sheep and likely pondered the stars. No telling how the heavens’ beauty and majesty stirred questions in his young mind.
My dad was a builder, so I grew up loving to watch things being made. For me, gazing into the nighttime sky brings me back to my childhood and questions like, how was it all made? Why are there stars? Why are there planets? Why are they all round? Why are they spinning? What combinations of gases were used to make them shine billions of miles away? How big is space? Some people believe that everything we see today was created out of an enormous explosion, but my question is this: where did all that matter come from that caused them to explode? The heavens present all sorts of questions, and the only explanation I can conclude is that there must be a Creator. Then another question arises: if there is a Creator, then why did He create and for what purpose?
The scriptures say it was because God was showing His eternal power and divine nature. What is He like? Without a doubt, He must have unlimited imagination and power. Who is He, and where did He come from? Could I possibly approach such a being? Why would He create us and all the heavens if He didn’t want to show Himself and communicate with us in some way?
No matter what language is spoken, the heavens all speak the same language. Scripture says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.” They have no speech they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world” (Psalm 19:1–4 NIV).
God wants His creation to seek Him. He created the heavens so that they would.

There is a wonderful God whose name is love. His name is wonderful. His

name is protector. His name is provider. He is almighty and He is peace,

mercy, and grace. He is amazing! His love defines me, His Spirit beckons

me, His protection guards me, His provision secures me, His almighty

presence surrounds me, His peace comforts me, His mercy rescues me, and

His grace cleanses me. He is amazing! His name is love. He is the lover of

my heart, the lover of my soul, the lover that beckons me to be His own.

His love lasts forever. He is a lover who knows and sees my potential. He

is the lover who calls me his bride and draws me near. The unfathomable

lover of all time loves me. Love is His name.

My Morning Prayer
This morning in prayer, I saw myself in the middle of the ocean; there were no boats. As I prayed and read Psalm 139, a beautiful peace came over me. Some of you are going into unfamiliar territory. Be encouraged. Remember—He is there.
When I am in that ocean, all alone, floating here and there, Lord, You are there. How will You rescue me, or will I be rescued? I don’t know. Should I be fearful? No. Lord, You are there. Should I doubt? You are the God of Moses who parted the waters, and you have a plan and a purpose for my life. You can draw something good out of anything, so who can question Your ways? Who can tell You how to design Your world or how to mold the clouds? How can I presume to know Your mind? So I float upon the waves, believing and trusting in You.
No ships are around to rescue, you may say, but since when does God require ships to save? God used a fish to bring Jonah to dry land.

So, Lord, I release my fleshly solutions and welcome your creative

supernatural interventions. You want me to live and not to be destroyed.

You want my life to be abundant and fully blessed. You want me to see my

lonely ocean drifting as a surrendering. Will the ocean expose my unbelief?

Will the ocean expose my landlocked faith? Will my want to control,

my soulish preservation, my human security, my earthly knowledge, or

my ability to walk on land be surrendered when I’m floating? Yes. Will I

survive? Who knows but God? Is it His will that I drown? No. Is it His will

that I live? Yes. Then abandon the land and jump. Float in His strength,

and be moved by His breath. His mighty hands will support me and keep

me from sinking.