By Gracie DarDar

Scripture Text: 

1I love you, Lord, my strength.

2The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield b and the horn c of my salvation, my stronghold.

3I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,

and I have been saved from my enemies.

4The cords of death entangled me;

the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

5The cords of the grave coiled around me;

the snares of death confronted me.

6In my distress I called to the Lord;

I cried to my God for help.

From his temple he heard my voice;

my cry came before him, into his ears.

Devotional:

Fall is here! That means there’s apple orchards, pumpkin patches, hay rides, crisp air, amazing desserts and the wonderful fall foliage views. But as the season goes on, the air gets cooler, the wind picks up and the leaves start to fall. 

Once the trees go bare, us New Yorkers know very well what comes next. The sun hides behind the clouds, the air is now below freezing and snow covers the ground. But as harsh as the winters can be, the fallen leaves from before will act as a blanket and become a nutrition source for the grass and plants below it. Shielding it from the snow, the cold, and sunless months so it’s ready to flourish again in the spring. 

The cold winter is inevitable and so are hard seasons we go through in life. God does not promise us an easy life when we follow him. He promises us that he’ll be with us through it all, shielding us from the hurt today so we can get back on our feet tomorrow. If God will protect the grass from the winter year after year, then he will surely protect you from the cold season you are facing again and again. 

Take refuge in Him, whether you think you deserve his protection, peace and guidance or not. He will be your rock - or in this case, leaves. He will hear your cries no matter how far away you think you are. The Lord will protect you from the cold better than any blanket will. 

Response/Prayer: 

Lord, thank you for all the seasons in life including the ugly ones. Protect our hearts and minds from these cold seasons we face and let us become stronger from them. Help us rely on you and not lean on our own understanding. Thank you for being our rock no matter what. In Jesus’s name we pray, amen.