The Top Shelf: The Ever-Present God — Tuesday
Proverbs 18:10
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. (ESV)
My family has been navigating a cancer diagnosis for my dad for about a month now. For the first week or so, I was pretty much at peace because it was caught early, the overall sentiment from doctors seemed positive, and treatment seemed straightforward. I added his situation to my nightly prayer with my wife and kept on truckin’ through life. Then I decided to learn just a bit more about outcomes on Google. Confident that the pitfalls of looking online for medical advice wouldn’t swallow me up, I started perusing niche studies, but only deep enough to see what the findings were. Then I checked out Reddit for first-hand experiences. After my searching, I felt really great and had so much peace! Just kidding... I devastated myself.
But not my dad. The following morning, I texted him to let him know I’m available for appointments or whatever, and that I loved him. He replied something to the effect of: “God knows what’s going on and is still in control. Don’t be upset, but if you are upset, you can call me whenever, and we can be upset together.”
Today’s scripture feels similar to the sentiment expressed by my dad, but it’s a truth expressed to everyone about their Heavenly Father. No matter the experience you’ve had with family or fathers, you have a Father who wants to be your shelter in this life. I find comfort in the specific language used in Proverbs: a strong tower we can run into that promises to keep us safe. It’s an enveloping, stalwart, strong tower. It has height and prominence. It’s not a temporary, fleeting idea or offer—it’s a permanent fixture. And it’s a permanent safety.
Does the qualifier of “righteous” feel like a barrier to you being able to seek God’s strong shelter? Romans 5:1 clears up the conditions of the required righteousness: “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (NLT). That’s wonderful news! I don’t find myself feeling super righteous most of the time—but because of what Jesus did for me, I know that God will always be my strong shelter.
Tuesday’s Reflection
Do you need to rest in the shelter of our Heavenly Father today? We have worship nights happening at all of our campuses tonight, February 27! Join us at a campus near you as we gather together to recenter our hearts and minds on the Lord and run to Him in worship. Find all the details here!
