It was the middle of the night when the sirens went off.

Welcome back to Oklahoma. 

I crawled over my beautiful, sleeping granddaughter and scooped her up and headed for the closet.

Jane had been looking forward to our sleepover all week and her mom and daddy were excited to have a date night.

We colored in coloring books. We played outside on the swing. She climbed me like a jungle gym for a couple of hours and then, when her eyelids were heavy, she asked if I’d sleep with her in her new big-girl bed.

I longingly looked at the couch, but said yes. Sleeping with Jane is all about the memories and nothing about sleep.

When the sirens sounded I had already woke up three times. Once, her head rested squarely on mine. The second time her legs were planted in my back. Third, she was tangled around my middle like an octopus. Each time I gently shifted her on to her side of the bed, but she gravitated back to me like a magnet.

I felt nearly drugged when the sirens went off. The wind and rain was beating the window. Jane’s mama met us in the hallway. Kristin started scooping things out of the narrow hallway closet and in we went.

As we sat in the darkness for the next half hour while chaos reigned outside, I could only think of one thing: Lord, protect this beautiful child and my sweet daughter-in-law holding her in her arms.

(Jane is in my arms, wearing the pink dress.)

I wonder if God feels the same about us. 

There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain.  Isaiah 4:6

In this scripture, these very real people are in a hard place. They can’t find rest. They long for a place to call home.  The prophet Isaiah soothes their hearts with a promise. There’s a Savior coming.

He describes Him as a shelter, a refuge and protection from the storm.

Maybe today it feels like you are in a storm. It’s chaotic. You’re trying to hold strong. Just as I scooped up Jane, my only focus to get her to a safe place, our Heavenly Father feels the same about you.

 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7

He doesn’t always stop the storm, because sometimes that’s where we find Him closest. It’s where we snuggle in, and though it rages on the outside we can only hear the songs of our Father.

Today, my prayer for you is that you’ll sense Him next to you, His strength in you, His comfort over you, and His protection around you.

Suzie