Tag: protection

Who is Your Roof?

Published on by marycatherinethomas2 Comments

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower;The righteous run to it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10 (NKJV)

Yesterday, on the drive home, I saw a truck with an advertisement for their company on it. The statement said, “Above all, you need a roof.”

Yes, it was a roofing company truck. I thought the saying was cute. It was accurate and it caught my eye, as I am certain it did for many others unfamiliar with the company.

As we continued down the road I thought about that statement on the truck. Yes, we each want and need a roof over our heads. Roofs provide protection and cover. They shelter us from storms, wind, the elements of nature. We can easily move around our home without the worry of branches falling on us, or being covered in leaves in the fall and pollen in the spring. Birds don’t fly around us moving from chair to chair. Squirrels don’t come in looking for food to hide away. Roofs do their job.

We care for our roofs. We notice them. We pray they hold up as roof repairs are not what we want.

Above all you need a roof.

Definitions of roof are: the cover of a building, the highest point, an upper limit, a covering structure of any part of the body. Synonyms of roof are: shelter, umbrella, shade, shield, cover.

What struck me yesterday on the interstate was a question that came to my mind, Who is my roof?

Psalm 91:1-4, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;  he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. 4 He will cover you with his feathers.
    He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” (NLT)

God is my roof. My shelter. My protector. My refuge. He will keep me safe. I will trust Him. He will rescue me and keep me safe. I can’t think of a better roof, with an eternal guarantee.

The Fig Tree

Published on by marycatherinethomasLeave a comment

“But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, And no one shall make them afraid; For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.” Micah 4:4 (NKJV)

About three years ago Dale bought a fig tree. It was just a small branch, really, but he was excited to have it. He planted it in a planter and we set it on the outside deck. The next morning it was strewn all over the deck. A cat, or a raccoon, something got into it.

The fig tree was then moved onto our screen porch where it flourished. It grew so large that we had to prune it or prepare to cut a tree shaped hole in the roof of our screen porch.

The tree was babied for the next couple of years, covered to protect it in the cold months and watered in the warmer months. A raccoon broke into our screen porch this winter and once more the tree was dumped over. We discovered it on it’s side and most of the dirt spread across the porch.

This spring, the tree left the porch to it’s permanent home in the yard. Dale dug the hole, placed the tree lovingly in the ground and then he prayed for it to flourish. Yes, my husband is dear like that, loving anything God gives us to grow.

We have checked on the tree daily and have been thrilled to see little figs appearing on the tree. I have had dreams of making fig jam and fig bars.

Last week as I was walking, I checked our elderberry bushes, our grapevines, our blueberry bushes, the one or two berries were actually starting to turn blue. I then looked into the lower yard at the fig tree. Something was off. I walked in the yard to see half of the leaves gone. I looked on the ground to see if it was a bug or disease, but there were no leaf debris to see. I knew then, that it was our neighborhood herd of deer that had feasted on those precious leaves.

In a few minutes, Dale and I were outside providing a protection for the tree and a deterrent to the deer. Dale was grumbling at the deer, and I knew the feeling as our deer love our roses and I cannot keep them growing at all.

We also talked of how the deer probably enjoyed the tender leaves from the tree. We figured the leaves were a treat for them, but, looking into our woods we know they have plenty of other things to feed on.

Once more our little fig tree is safe and growing. Protected from hungry deer and able to continue it’s life in the ground.

Fig trees are mentioned often in the Bible. Jesus even cursed a fig tree when He was hungry and there were no figs on the tree He passed. Another parable talks about giving a fig tree an extra year to be cared for before cutting it down.

I see lessons in our fig tree. It has been nourished and loved. It has the encouragement to grow and produce fruit. It has been given a home where it’s roots will reach deep into the earth. This, too, is our lives. We have been planted, nourished and loved. Will we produce fruit or will we be given just one more year to see if there is a difference?

“For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.  Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.” Hebrews 3:14-15 (NLT)

Let us stretch our roots deep into our Lord, allowing the softening of our hearts so that we can produce fruit, in season and out of season, for our Lord. For our God is our protection and covering as we grow.