He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Psalm 91:1-2
When businessman Allan Emery was in the wool business, he once spent an evening with a shepherd on the Texas prairie. During the night, the long wail of coyotes pierced the air. The shepherd’s dogs growled and peered into the darkness. The sheep, which had been sleeping, lumbered to their feet, alarmed, bleating pitifully. The shepherd tossed more logs onto the fire, and the flames shot up. In the glow, Allen looked out and saw thousands of little lights. He realized those were reflections of the fire in the eyes of the sheep.
“In the midst of danger,” he observed, “the sheep were not looking out into the darkness but were keeping their eyes set in the direction of their safety, looking toward the shepherd. I couldn’t help but think of Hebrews 12:2: ‘looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. … ’ ”
Sometimes we get discouraged when we look around and see all our troubles surrounding us. But this is no surprise to Jesus—when He sent out His twelve apostles, He even warned them: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves” (Matthew 10:16). The most important thing to do when danger approaches is to look at the Shepherd, not at the wolves. God is your shelter, you can trust in Him. You can rest in the shadow of your Savior!
During your most difficult moments this week, be sure to look beyond your troubles to see the face of God, and trust Him!
