Faithfully Find Shelter

eMoment by Laurie Aker

Focus Scripture: Luke 11:24-28

24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person,

 it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, 

‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, 

it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes 

and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they

 enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person 

is worse than the first.”

27  As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice 

and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts 

at which you nursed!”  28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who 

hear the word of God and keep it!”

The demonic spirit passes through the desert

in search of a place to reside,

finding none, it returns to its previous abode.

The desert was a place thought to be inhabited by demons.

In the Old Testament book of Leviticus God commanded

that each year on the day of Atonement,

before Aaron, the High Priest, could enter the Holy of Holies,

he must give several offerings for sin:

for himself, his family, and for all the people.

He was also to choose one goat to be the “scape goat.”

Ceremonially, he would lay the sins of the people

upon that goat and it would be sent into the desert.

The desert came to be known as

a place where sin was taken and demons resided.

When King David found himself in the desert,

seeking refuge from his enemies,

he knew his true habitation was in his God.

No matter where he wandered in the barren wilderness,

he found shelter in the sanctuary of his Lord

and refreshment in heavenly waters.

Psalm 63:1

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 

David lifts his eyes to God,

he sequesters his mind and heart in the sanctuary of the Lord

placing all of his hope and trust in God.

Psalm 63:2-4

So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, 

beholding your power and glory. 

Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you. 

So I will bless you as long as I live;

in your name I will lift up my hands. 

Faithfully finding shelter in the name of the Lord,

he abides in the steadfast love of the Lord.

Regardless of his circumstances he resides in God’s presence

and waits in confident expectation.

Demons may circle, taunt, and threaten,

but David is safe within in his heavenly sanctuary.

The Spirit of God watches over His people and never fails

them in the time of testing.

David dwelt in the shelter of His Almighty God.

No unclean spirit could enter, no demon could dwell.

When the Spirit of God resides within us we are never empty,

never forsaken, and never without hope…

Psalm 91:9-10

Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place-

the Most High, who is my refuge-no evil shall be allowed to befall you,

no plague come near your tent.

Remember God’s promises and claim them

regardless of what the tongue of the accuser is saying.

Flee the vanity of the fleeting and temporal.

Stand in faith in the midst of His sanctuary,

away from the chiding of the enemy.

Take shelter in the shadow of your Almighty God.

Sign up for Thistlebend daily eMoment devotionals on our home page.