2026 Pentecost Devotions III
Monday, October 5
Isaiah 25:1-5
1 O Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
2 For you have made the city a heap,
the fortified city a ruin;
the palace of foreigners is a city no more;
it will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
4 For you have been a refuge to the poor,
a refuge to the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.
When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,
5 the noise of foreigners like heat in a dry place,
you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;
the song of the ruthless was stilled.
“… 4 For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. …”
I love the image Isaiah paints of God’s care for the poor and needy. God provides a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. What could be more protective?
One afternoon, my younger sister and I were out fishing on Beaver Lake. Suddenly, the wind changed and storm clouds appaeared. Knowing that we could not make it back to the pier by my grandmother’s house, we rowed toward a cabin nestled along the lakeshore. Just as the storm broke, the lightning flashed, and torrents of rain fell, we found shelter sitting on some old wooden deck chairs under the porch roof of that old cabin.
God promises that amidst the storms of life, protection will be offered. No matter what the dark clouds may carry, the shelter of the Lord awaits. It may not be the safety and security of grandmother’s house, but the porch roof of an old cabin can still provide the protection needed.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the shelter and protection you offer amidst the storms of life. Amen.