All Season Comfort -
In the canyons east of American Fork, Utah, there is a series of caverns known as the Timpanogas Caves. The caves have been there for thousands of years. Scientists claim they existed long before man ever set foot in the great Utah Basin. A hunter who was seeking shelter from the cold discovered the caves. He found that the caves maintained a constant temperature inside of about 60 degrees. Regardless of the season, winter or summer, the temperature remains the same.
The seasons change . . . the cave never does.
We too have a place like that to go, where the climate never changes, no matter how the seasons of our life change. David knew that place. He found it when King Saul wanted him dead and pursued him across the countryside to kill him. (1 Samuel 23) Now delivered by God, David writes about the all-season comfort he has found.
Psalm 18:2. "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress... my strength." Notice - a rock . . . that never moves, never changes. David is bringing up every analogy he can to try to describe what stability, what safety, what comfort he has found in his relationship with his Lord - no matter how cold or hot the weather of his life may have been.
Just like that cave where we can always depend on the climate, the Lord is our always-dependable place. We know how quickly the seasons of our life can change. It may be that someone we thought was our refuge just isn't there for us anymore, or a place or position we thought would always be there, and that changed.
It could be that our body has let us down, or our family, or our co-workers. Life really is like the weather - if you don't like it, hang on - it'll change soon. If you do like it, it will change eventually, too. But our anchor, our rock, our foundation is found in our relationship with the Lord, he will never, and never change.
So what do we do, when temptation is strong, when no one can help, when we’re wounded and bleeding, when we're angry, when we're very afraid, when the burden is just unbearable, when the need is unmeetable? Sometimes we’re hesitant to run to the safety of the Lord when we're feeling or acting bad. In fact, we feel like running from Him. But that's when we need Him most. His arms are open and His fortress is strong, no matter what.
Just like David, we too have our seasons, we will have our highs and our lows, mountains and valleys. But like those caves on Timpanogas, The Lord is our comfort our place to cool off when we’re hot...our place to get warm when it's cold.
My daughter puts it best, when snuggling in my lap, her nose buried in my chest. After a few minutes, I hear her little voice say, "Daddy - when I'm in your arms, I feel so safe." For you - for me - the arms of the Lord are that always-safe place. No matter what the season, His love and His power never, never change. He is our rock, our strength, and our fortress.