Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day. – Psalm 91: 1-5
Now that the school year has begun my daughter and I share a new morning routine. I now take her to school. On our way, we listen to worship music to lift our spirits to get the day going. I try to share encouraging words as she gets ready for another day. Sometimes we laugh, or sing. Sometimes, we sit in silence still trying to wake from a good night sleep. When we arrive at the school, we take our place in the long line of cars. We slowly make our way to front of the line.
Each morning, as we wait in the drop-off line, I noticed something that happens daily, that I obviously take for granted. As we hurried through this mundane task of dropping off our students, I noticed the teachers hard at work. Each morning the teachers at my daughter’s school wait to receive the kids. Hot, cold, rain, snow, they stand in the drive opening car doors, share a friendly “good morning” greeting, and escort the kids to the safety of the sidewalk. I watched as the teachers work to control the movement of the cars to make sure that each drop off goes safely.
Recently, I witnessed one teacher stand in front of a vehicle, because she noticed a very small (may kindergarten) student slowly moving across traffic. She knew that little one would be hard to see by the drivers in the line. She quickly moved the student towards the building and the traffic began to flow, once again.
I doubt that student was aware of the possible danger from the cars in the drop-off line, and I am sure they did not realize the risk that teacher was taking to make sure they made it safely to the building, but I know it was a beautiful picture of a person caring for another. It reminded me of the Psalm that describes how God watches over us, His children, each and every day. The psalmist writes, “under his wings you will find refuge.” We don’t often see how God works on our behalf, and other times we take it for granted, but God is at work, day and night, protecting His children.
For God, who is our refuge and fortress, and for those who work so hard to care for our children, today I give thanks.
-Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
