Seek Shelter or Shelter In Place? …Hello Hump Day readers. I am writing this a day before Hurricane Milton descends on the state of Florida. We have 7 people in our campground from Florida, 5 of them have homes right in the path of Milton. We are helping them communicate with family back there. We are also praying together—even the ones without faith in God. In the end, the main words I keep hearing is seek shelter now, do not shelter in place. That just makes my heart run cold for these folks—most of them are seniors.

Meteorologists and the National Weather Service are helping people to understand the power of a Category 5 hurricane but some folks won’t seek shelter, they think they are able to shelter in place and wait out the storm. For many this has been a failed idea. Not only have they lost everything, many have lost their lives.

In these challenges of climate change, our first response needs to be a sit-down with God, who knows exactly what the weather is going to do. No matter the situation you are in, God is going to give you the best recommendation: seek shelter in Me. Seeking ‘shelter in place’ is relying on yourself instead of God. For those with hurricane losses, that may seem way too simple when what you have is now being pounded by wind and deluges of water. But that is where are focus has to be—on God, not the storm.

Our spiritual lives will experience many troubling times, from storms to health problems, broken family relations, addictions, anger and so much more. This week we had a suicide at our campground. A 47-year-old man so addicted to fentanyl jumped off a cliff that was over 80 feet above the lake. He never hit the water; he landed on a rocky ledge, crushing his body. That day was filled with emergency medical personnel, cliff ropers from Los Alamos, police and then the coroner. His teenage children and wife and parents were there, too. He didn’t seek God’s shelter in his addiction, but I believe God was there through his valley of death to take him home to heaven where he no longer was hurting.

That is what God does, yet God may not remove the hardship and that is difficult for us to understand. The Apostle Paul asked God three times to remove his “thorn in the flesh” but the answer was “my grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Corinthians 12)

Then we hear the words of Jesus as he prayed to his Father: “If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Matthew 26) God did not remove the hardship for his Son either. Why? The answer for this comes down to the recommendation about: seek shelter in God. The more intense our hardships, the closer we must draw to God and rest in God’s mighty hands.

In Romans 5:3-4 NLT, the Apostle Paul reminds us that: “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.”

God is working in us through this Scripture. Many feel that this is brutal knowing that God can do anything but won’t—please do not adopt those fears! Instead, think about the many times you were stuck, afraid, on the edge…God’s working in you gives you the endurance, strength and wisdom for “such a time like this.” It will benefit you when those problems and trials will come again because you will have the endurance and strength to get through it.

We need to embrace the words of Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” Yes, you may think God didn’t do the best in your troubles, but God did and God will always be there for you. Stay steadfast in your faith, and by doing so, you can help others in troubling situations and show them the love and grace of God. And—always remember the recommendation for troubling times: seek shelter in God—always!  AMEN