sheltering mercy

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. 

Psalm 57:1

My soul needs above all else to be nourished in the mercies of God. I need forgiveness of sin that is only found in God's mercy. I need perspective on my life which only His mercy can illuminate. I need a refuge from a world that rages against God (and also against my soul's good). I must frame my thinking and my actions around the all-encompassing truth that God is my Savior and my refuge.

Ever since sin and death have entered this world by one man's disobedience, there has been a need for the souls of men to throw themselves on the mercies of God. And ever since an angel with a flaming sword has kept us out of Eden, we have had to trust in a merciful God to be our refuge. To be human is to NEED mercy. To exist as a follower of God requires the refuge of His presence to weather the storms of destruction that sin and human insolence bring upon us.

I thank God for the warm covering shelter of His wings around me. The storms of life can rage, and I need the mercies of my God to hold me close in His warm and luxurious grace. From that snug shelter I can see how foolish it is to be out in the raging torrent without Him. And in that shelter God is close and tenderly caring. After the storm He is the sunshine of hope beaming down and warming my soul again.