Clouds and fire

God has always been our refuge. He has always been our safe place. But the canopy of His protection has a special meaning that we might not realize.

Then the Lord will provide shade for Mount Zion and all who assemble there. He will provide a canopy of cloud during the day and smoke and flaming fire at night, covering the glorious land. (Isaiah 4:5)

I don’t like umbrellas.

It’s probably leftover from my time in our church’s youth group. Our youth pastor was a Marine, so we didn’t use umbrellas when it was raining (I’m only half kidding).

No, the real reason I don’t like umbrellas is the hassle. They’re a pain to haul around, and every time I get one out, it inevitably doesn’t rain. But every time I leave it at home? You guessed it. Downpour. And that doesn’t even talk about the trouble of dealing with them after they are wet and you have to go inside.

But I will tell you, when I went to college in Florida, I had an umbrella, and I used it. Those were real frog stranglers down there. There was one time the entire student body was on our way to chapel, and we all got caught out in the rain. Only half of us had umbrellas. The entire class body was drenched, and there was so much water dripping off us in our seats at chapel that a lake of water accumulated at lowest level of the auditorium.

I was thankful for the shelter of my umbrella that day. I was also able to help two other people stay mostly dry because we had room underneath it.

I love the imagery of that. A protective canopy. A shade of refuge, where those who need a hiding place can run in times of danger or threat.

Throughout history, God has always been our shelter. He has been the one who protects us and keeps us safe, and that won’t change. Ever. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about ten thousand years ago, yesterday, or a million years in the future. God has always been our refuge. He has always been our safe place.

During the Exodus, He led and directed and guided the Israelites with a pillar of fire by night and a beautiful cloud by day. He walked ahead of them so they knew what direction to go, and He protected them with His presence. For those of us who know Jesus, He is the lamp for our feet and the light for our path, and He keeps us safe from the storms of life.

Whether it’s with clouds and fire or with a gently whispered word from His Holy Spirit, God will always make it clear what way we are to travel, and He will keep us safe until we get where He has asked us to go.

Word of the Day

CANOPY ( חֻפָּֽה | huppah)

It’s rare that I find a word to feature that is used primarily in its basic form without any variants. This word is a fun one, and it does have several variations. But those variations only show up three times: Psalm 19:5, Isaiah 4:5, and Joel 2:16. It is important to note that both the verse in Psalms and the verse in Joel are talking about wedding rituals, so comparing this verse in Isaiah feels a little off base until you remember that God has described the Church as His Bride. So the canopy of cloud and fire, His protection and direction and guidance and safety, is connected to His covenant promise of relationship with you and me. As always, our great God provides what He requires.

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