In the shelter of the Most High

I spotted the squirrel nest in the fork of a tall oak tree. The wind was blowing furiously and the branches were waving like crazed fans at a rock concert. In wonder, I thought again how incredibly good God is to all of His creation – including the little squirrels and birds that live in the tree tops. Although that nest looks dangerous to my eye, it’s inhabitants feel safety in the altitude, the sheltering limbs that stretch all around and cover it, and the strong foundation of the forked trunk beneath the nest. For a squirrel, it’s probably the safest place he can be.

I inhabit a similar, seemingly perilous shelter - poised high above human understanding. Unbelievers may think I’m crazy because of the trust I place in The Lord to hold me up, to sustain me and to shelter me. From their vantage point, I am sitting on a bunch of twigs and branches way up in the top of that tree that’s swaying in the wind. How can that possibly be secure, they ask?

Until you know Him, you can’t understand it either.

I can feel the safety of the altitude. My faith rests in the Most High. Even though my flesh grows clammy at the very thought of heights, this is a spiritual high that is both exhilarating and awe-inspiring.

Psalm 91 talks about this place, resting in the Most High. This is one of the most comforting passages in God’s Word.

Psalm 91 (NKJV)
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;

My God, in Him I will trust.”

3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler

And from the perilous pestilence.

4 He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,

Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,

Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,

And ten thousand at your right hand;

But it shall not come near you.

8 Only with your eyes shall you look,

And see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,

Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

10 No evil shall befall you,

Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you in all your ways.

12 In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,

The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;

I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him,

And show him My salvation.”

When the concerns of this life have you in a tailspin, just remember Who’s holding you.