A Song for When… You Need Shelter From Life’s Storms
Sometimes we have days when it feels like the world is just coming at us from all angles. A friend of mine felt like this the other day… Her own car was already broken down, so she was borrowing her son’s car. Then, of course, that car broke down, and she had to call a tow truck. I got pulled into the situation when she called to see if I could give her younger son a ride home from school. When I pulled into her driveway, she was on the phone with the tow truck company, but she stepped outside to say a quick hello before I left. She said, I could just cry.
Days and/or seasons of struggle happen to everybody. You know the expression, when it rains it pours? When life rains on you, it often pours! And what do you need in the midst of a rainstorm? You need shelter. The shelter keeps you dry, safe and warm. In life, God can be this very shelter.
Pat Barrett has a song out called, “Shelter.” The lyrics in the first verse set the tone, helping us imagine one of those times in life like my friend was experiencing—when trouble seems to be coming from every side.
I know right where I’m turning … When trouble’s on every side … The lesson I keep on learning is I just need You … I may never know every reason … Why things are the way they are … Oh, I don’t need all the answers, I just need You
But did you notice that the song doesn’t dwell on the troubles of life? Within the first few lines, the song reminds us that even when we don’t understand why things might be happening the way they are, all we need is Jesus. He is the ultimate answer. Even when we don’t understand the reason behind some of life’s hard circumstances, we can rest in the fact that we simply need Jesus. He is our perfect and complete shelter. The chorus of the song says:
Shelter, I need Your shelter … Hide me away from the harm … Away from it all … I’m safe here in Your loving arms … I need Your shelter
If you pull up this song on Spotify or YouTube, close your eyes while you listen to this chorus. I get the most warm, cozy, safe and secure feeling as I listen to Barrett sing these lyrics. What a beautiful thing to visualize—hidden away from any harm, safe in God’s loving arms, covered under His shelter. Wow!
But guess what? The shelter God provides is not only there to help keep us safe when troubles come our way. His shelter can also protect us from worry, fear and anxiety! …if we let it. Do you ever worry about the future? Maybe you have anxiety about financial security, your children’s futures, or the health of your parents in the years and decades to come. If you hide yourself in His sovereign care, you don’t need to worry about the future. Look at these lyrics:
Whatever the future’s holding … Whatever tomorrow brings … Oh, one thing I know is certain … I just need You
You may be thinking to yourself… What does it really mean to hide myself in God’s care? How exactly do I place myself under His shelter? Here’s one clue in a stanza heard the end of the song:
The weight of the world’s falling off of my shoulders … I’m letting go, ’cause I know that You hold it … You care for me more than I even know, and … I just need You
You can let go of your worry, stress, fear, anger, pain and anxiety. Rather than letting the world’s pressures weigh you down, LET THEM GO. Release that weight off your shoulders. Or, in the words of 1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” Rather than trying to carry everything on your own, choose to trust God, and in return He will give you peace. He will guide you! He will cover you under His shelter so that even when those unavoidable bad times do come, you will still feel protected under the mighty hand of the Lord Almighty. How do I know this? Proof:
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. -Isaiah 26:3
One of my favorite things about “Shelter” is the way it repeats that reassuring chorus. Barrett sings that word, shelter, over and over! And as he does, the calming vibe of the music sets my mind and heart at ease. It helps to set a worshipful atmosphere in my soul, which fills me with peace and gratitude. So let me remind you of that chorus one final time:
Shelter, I need Your shelter … Hide me away from the harm … Away from it all … I’m safe here in Your loving arms … I need Your shelter
Thank you, God, for being my perfect and strong shelter. I need you!