I Think We are all Looking for a Safe Place

Today, we are faced with fear, confusion, and turmoil.  We are trying to cope with the bombings in Boston and wondering what kind of a person could or would send letters to ANYBODY that were laced with a deadly poison.  We watch the news as the story of a fertilizer plant that caught fire and blew up in Texas unfolds.  Chicago is flooding badly.  As I sit here typing this, the thunder has begun to roll along with wind and  a steady downpour of rain.  We are warned that hail might be on the way....
I think we are all looking for a safe place to shelter us from the evil all around us.  We feel that it's getting closer to us, yet we have no idea where to hide.
Let me remind you that though this world is run by the evil one, God has the last say-so over it all.  Run to Him.  Let Him gather you to His bosom and like a hen with chicks, allow Him to cover you with His wings.
We don't always understand why things happen, but we can be sure of this:  God loves everyone and does not want anyone to perish.  If we will let Him, He will guard us just like the diligent shepherd guards his sheep.  That shepherd is always on the lookout for lions, bears and wild dogs.  He will fight them off of the sheep with his staff.  He will lead them through the valleys to rich pastures and calm waters.  He will annoint their heads with oil that repels flies and gnats and prevents the egg laying pests that gain access through the nose and eyes.  He goes looking for the one that strays.  And when the sheep are troubled due to bullying among themselves He takes charge.
Things are going to get worse.  God tells us this in His Word.  But His love never dies, and if we will accept that He knows the way in which we should go, pay attention to it,  seeking His will, and letting Him lead us, then we will not ever be without Him.

Psalm 91

¹ He who ^[a]dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].

² I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!

³ For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

⁴ [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.

⁵ You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day,

⁶ Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday.

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.

⁸ Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked.

⁹ Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place,

¹⁰ There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent.

¹¹ For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].

¹² They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

¹³ You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot.

¹⁴ Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness—trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never].

¹⁵ He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.