Theme: Toy Box #4 – Umbrella (Sunday 27 Sept, 2020)
Series: Life Lessons from the Toy Box
Bible Reading: Psalm 61:1-8
Preacher: Rev Phil Swain
We continue our sermon series looking at profound Biblical principles and promises that we can learn from our childhood toys. Have you ever seen a child play outside in the rain with their kids/toy umbrella? This week Phil uses the imagery of a toy umbrella to explore God’s promise to protect us.
Story about holidays … Granite Island in SA. (near Victor Harbour)
- Walking around this rocky island, seeing the great scenery
- 5 minutes on the walk suddenly the heavens open and it poured down rain. LOTS OF RAIN
- What do we do? I didn’t want my family to catch a cold so we needed to get out of the rain … but how? We are in the middle rocky Island?
- Ran back to the Kiosk and hit underneath the awning … (actually had some hot chocolate) and we continued the walk after it stopped raining.
Have you ever been caught out in the rain like that? What are some ways in which we can protect ourselves from getting soaked in a thunderstorm?
CARRY AN UMBRELLA! (Check first before opening)
An umbrella does not stop the rain from falling, but it does deflect the rain as it comes down. Sometimes in life we go through storms, not literally but sometimes we go through life storms … do you know what I am talking about?
Life storms like
- Health Problems
- Grief
- Loneliness
- Guilt or Shame
- Depression
- Tragedy
- The list goes on …
What can protect us in the storms of life. What is our “umbrella” when life’s troubles pour down on us?
The Psalmist in the reading we had today knew all about life storms. Listen again to the first few lines of his prayer to God…
O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer!
I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed.
How does the Psalmist respond, he is in the middle of a life storm, what is he calling out to God for?
Lead me to the towering rock of safety
The Psalmist is looking for a safe place. Shelter from the storm.
I found the shelter from my storm at the kiosk, where did the Psalmist find his shelter? Listen to the next verse
for you are my safe refuge,
a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
Let me live forever in your sanctuary,
safe beneath the shelter of your wings
God is his shelter.
Wonderful images – a chicken or duck protecting their young with their wings.
Actually when it started to pour down at Granite Island, I wrapped up my 6 year old in with my body so that she wouldn’t get so wet. God does the same, when we are facing a storm of life, God calls us to draw close to him and wraps his arms around us to protect us from the storm, to give us shelter from the harshness of life.
Once again … God does not stop the storm, but he does offer to protect us and give us shelter.
That is why at the end of the Psalm the Psalmist is able to make that amazing statement…
I will sing praises to your name forever
as I fulfil my vows each day.
As the Psalmist takes claim of God’s promise for protection, he responds by giving God praise. He praises God day by day as he continues to walk the journey with him
Let us all claim of God’s promise for protection, and together respond by giving God praise