Dec 14, 2017 - But let all who take refuge in You REJOICE. Let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread Your protection
Thursday, December 14, 2017 But let all who take refuge in You REJOICE. Let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread Your protection over them that all who love Your name may be filled with JOY. Psalm 5:11
Have you ever needed a refuge? A place of safety? Many of us were searching for one during Hurricane Irma. Our heart’s desire and prayers were for our families and friends to be in a safe place. My husband and I are blessed to live in a neighborhood with 16 other families under a canopy of many large, old oak trees. During the summer months, these trees protect our neighborhood from the hot sun and in the winter when the humidity is low and the temperatures chilly, these trees, after they have lost most of their leaves, let in more sunshine to warm us. They provide us a refuge all year around. We are also blessed to live in this neighborhood because of the wonderful people. Neighbors care for and watch out for each other and help wherever needed. Before Hurricane Irma arrived, we made our homes & property a refuge as best we could. Once we were finished, we got together with neighbors for dinner and had a feast! Everyone brought food that might spoil if the power went out. Along with being anxious about the hurricane coming, we had a feeling of joy and happiness being together. After the hurricane had gone through our area, neighbors came outside, looked for damage on their personal property and then checked on everyone else. We lost power the day after the storm passed through. I was filled with great joy and praises when my husband brewed the best coffee and made peanut butter toast on our grill each morning. You might think that with all the trees in our neighborhood there would be a lot of damage. Except for lots of branches and leaves all over the ground, there was none. We all helped each other cleanup the mess – one house at a time – and had fun doing it. After the cleanup, we got together again for dinner. One of our neighbors who had a generator made chili in crockpots and everyone brought something to share. Psalm 46:1 says “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” I know this to be true in my life but I also know He uses people to be “His hands and His feet” to accomplish it. I am very grateful to Him for that. Dear God, May we always be Your grateful people. Amen. JoAnn Hayes
