Where Do You Shelter?
In a world that has become increasingly more dangerous and unsettled, where should we take shelter?
When did you first notice it? I know exactly when I did. It wasn’t when I went to the supermarket and there was no hand sanitizer on the shelves. And it wasn’t when I noticed the growing number of people walking down my street wearing masks. It wasn’t even when one of my colleagues asked me if I could work from home if needed.
No, the key moment for me was when I wanted to cook lasagne for dinner and the supermarket had completely sold out of pasta! It suddenly felt very real -- and things just continued escalating from there. The cricket games my brother had been waiting months to watch were cancelled. Anyone entering Australia or New Zealand were required to self quarantine for two weeks. And it wasn’t just those countries. The news was filled with story after story of how this disease, Covid-19, was running rampant all over the world and the drastic changes governments were putting in place in an attempt to contain it. These changes affected me in ways I could never have dreamed of one month earlier. The fear I felt simply being in public spaces and my suspicion of strangers was very unsettling.
I had to face the possibility that my well laid travel plans for the coming year probably wouldn’t happen. Then my parents phoned me from New Zealand and told me they thought I should consider flying home. Suddenly my life was altered on a whole other level and I was faced with a very difficult decision.
Should I fly home to New Zealand to be with my family during these uncertain times? Or should I stay in Australia, where I had been living for the past eight months, and risk not being able to get home if I needed to?
Where should I shelter?
When everything around you is shaky and uncertain, what you crave most is that safe place to shelter until the danger passes. For some, that is staying right where you are, and for others, like me, that is booking a flight and flying across the ocean.
But what about when there is no safe place to shelter? I had the privilege of a choice but perhaps you don’t. Everything around you is collapsing and there is no safety net for you to fall back on. No family to fly home to or savings in the bank to rely on. And yet, if you think about it, life can still be very uncertain, even for those of us in a better position. In reality, even the strongest “safety nets” can break.
It’s so natural for us to crave the kind of certainty that our world just can’t seem to guarantee us. No wonder we feel so overwhelmed when we read the news headlines.
Throughout history, the Jewish people have together and individually faced many crises and this has produced some of the world's most significant literature. A lot of the psalms that are found in our Hebrew scriptures were written by King David and record much of the pain and many of the struggles he went through. During his years of fleeing from King Saul, David sought shelter in many places - caves, the wilderness, even with his enemies, the Philistines. Yet through years of hardship, David never lost his way. What was his secret? David chose the right shelter, and it wasn’t just the caves. It is clear that throughout the Psalms, no matter what David had to go through, he never lost his faith or trust in God. Time and time again, David refers to God as his rock, his refuge and his place of safety.
The words penned by King David so many years ago, have continued to comfort and inspire all kinds of people.
The Hiding Place in the Ten Boom home
The Ten Booms were a devout Christian family who lived in Holland during WWII. They bravely hid Jewish people in a secret room in their home in Haarlem, sheltering them from the Nazis. Tragically they were betrayed and sent to concentration camps. Years later, Corrie Ten Boom, one of the only survivors of the family, wrote a book about her experiences. Inspired by the Hebrew scriptures, she named it ‘The Hiding Place’, referring not only to the secret room, but also to God. In Psalm 119 it says, “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.”
Even in the midst of great suffering, Corrie, just like King David, never lost her faith in God. She did not despair, because her ultimate shelter was not found in her home or family. It was found in the God she served. She had found something certain to rely on in an uncertain world.
Perhaps you are thinking, that’s all very well for King David and the Ten Boom family. I’m glad they were able to find some comfort in their faith. But how do I know that sheltering in God is the answer? Why should I put my trust in him? After all, Corrie and her family were still sent to concentration camps and David spent many years as a fugitive even though he had done nothing wrong.
These aren’t easy questions and they are ones David himself wrestled with. But in the end, David knew the God he served and chose to trust him even through the darkest times. That comes through powerfully in the words of Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” David understood that no matter what he had to go through in his life, God was walking through it with him, giving him the strength he needed.
In a harrowing prison in Germany, Corrie Ten Boom discovered that she, too, could overcome fear because God was certainly with her. She said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” With God as her shelter, she was able to find peace in the middle of horrifying circumstances.
Covid-19 might be new, but the need for shelter is not. The same shelter that King David found will always be available for those who are seeking.
God, who is the ultimate shelter, promises, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13.
Written by Rebekah Bronn
If you would like to know more about a Messianic Jewish perspective on shelter, contact us at [email protected]
Rebekah outside the Ten Boom home in Haarlem