“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1

There is nothing like a good umbrella for protection from the rain. People who live where rain is a frequent occurrence understand the value of a good umbrella. But what about the rainstorms of life? All of us experience the rain that falls daily in life because of sin—the rain of discouragement, pain, sorrow, aimlessness, betrayal…the list goes on. So, is there an umbrella to keep us “dry” from these rainstorms of life?

The answer is “yes”! It is God’s umbrella of grace freely given through Christ’s sacrifice and atonement. Grace is the “shelter of the Most High…the shadow of the Almighty”. It is this covering of grace by faith—the Gospel—that is our shelter from the rainstorms of life. Grace does not mean we are exempt from rainstorms, but it does mean we have the promise of rest for the weary and the assurance of protection against that which can destroy the soul. Under the umbrella of grace is Life (with a capital “L”) where there is purpose for life and strength for the storms.

As a grandparent I want to represent Christ and His Gospel well to the next generations. I want my life to reflect the reality of living under God’s umbrella of grace, and I want to help my grandchildren recognize the difference between God’s umbrella of grace and the foolish and flimsy umbrellas offered by the world and Satan—not to mention those we foolishly attempt to manufacture ourselves. Any umbrella other than God’s umbrella of grace is a counterfeit—defective and incapable of protecting us from the daily rainstorms of life. (We’ll examine some of these flimsy umbrellas that lure so many from coming under God’s umbrella of grace next week.)

Remember that the Gospel does not stop the rainstorms of life yet, but keeps us “dry” when they come under the shelter of God’s umbrella of grace. Do those dearest to you recognize that, in the rainstorms of life as well as the times of sunshine, it is God’s umbrella of grace under which you stand?

GRANDPAUSE: If you have the Shepherd, you have grace for every sin, direction for every turn, a candle for every corner, and an anchor for every storm. -Max Lucado