-A refuge for the troubled mind
‘The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.’
(Psalms 18:2 NLT)
We read this verse at the Precepts Bible Study on Wednesday morning.There’s such powerful imagery of God being our safe, secure shelter.
As I pondered these things, my thoughts drifted to the word bothy- the Scottish word for a hillside hut, a shelter in the mountains for hikers.
I like the idea of a bothy- somewhere to shelter in the mountains or by a Loch as we discover & explore the wilderness! I like the thought of God being like a bothy.
A refuge. A haven. A shelter.
‘The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.’
(Nahum 1:7 ESV)
In this bothy, our Father God is so close that we are under His shadow & we are shielded by God Himself.
A bothy is not for glamping . It’s a simple hut to protect from the elements. And so with God our bothy. In troubled times He has promised to provide needs – not our wants.
He gives comfort rather than keeping us comfortable.
He gives shelter in the storms of life. Sometimes He calms the storm & sometimes He calms His tear-stained & heavy-hearted child- in the bothy.
The One who scattered the stars collects our tears. He knows our name & He knows our hearts. And He still loves us.
We can’t go back to change events that caused the storm. We can’t erase our mistakes or undo our past. But we can come to our God & find shelter in the difficult days & peace in the dark chapters.
We can share our heart as we pray to our Maker. We can trust Him at all times, through all our days.
‘On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah’
(Psalms 62:7-8 ESV)
When the axis of our world suddenly tilts,
When the cadence of everyday life is unexpectedly disrupted,
When our journey is interrupted by a bump in the road & we stumble-
Even then {especially then} our God is the Great Unchangeable One- our Rock,our Fortress, our Shelter- Our Bothy.
Blessings
Ruthx
Blessed! 