The Need for Shelter
Jane Denniston
March 10, 2025
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Psalm 91: 1-6, 9-12 & Luke 4: 1-13 (NRSVA)
Psalm 91
1
You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,2
will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.’3
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence;4
he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.5
You will not fear the terror of the night,
or the arrow that flies by day,6
or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
9
Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling-place,10
no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.11
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.12
On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
Luke 4
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ 4 Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.”’
5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ 8 Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.”’9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,
“He will command his angels concerning you,
to protect you”,11 and
“On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’12 Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’ 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
God is our refuge and our shelter. Placing these two readings side by side clearly illustrates that Jesus knew and used the scriptures appropriately. Rather than taking shelter behind a warped interpretation of the word of God, Jesus placed his trust in the Father he knew and loved.
The Bible tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way as we are. Clearly, he did not experience every temptation exactly as we do but I think that the Bible shows us that he was tempted in all the same areas that we are. He was tempted to satisfy his bodily appetites in inappropriate ways, he was tempted by greed for riches and status, and he was tempted to misuse power. And all of this when he was physically at his weakest having fasted for 40 days. Six weeks is the longest the human body can go without food before irreparable damage is done to internal organs and so at this point Jesus would be weak and vulnerable, beyond our ability to comprehend. Yet in spite of his vulnerability, Jesus subverted the power of the tempter through his reliance on the Holy Spirit. When danger threatened, he took refuge in the power of God and the promise of the Father. What the example of Jesus shows us is that no matter what life throws at us, God is with us, our refuge and our shelter when we trust in him.
Prayer:
Loving heavenly Father,
we praise and thank you for your constant presence with us.
We praise and thank you that through the darkest valley
you are with us and comfort us.
Thank you that we can find our refuge and our shelter in you.
Lord, we know that your arms are wide
to receive all who seek shelter,
the refugee and the asylum seeker.
May our arms be wide also.
Give us wisdom to know what we can do in your name
to provide shelter and refuge to those
who have nowhere to call home.
In the name of the one who had nowhere to lay his head, Amen
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