The Shelter
Pastor Calvin Cook
December 5, 2025
Nahum 1:7 — “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.”
When we moved to Kane 10 years ago, I was immediately captivated by the Allegheny National Forest, the Kinzua Lake/Dam, and the beauty of living on top of the Allegheny Ridge. I noticed in the early days several places where the North Country Trail passed over roadways. I thought in this early day and still think today, one of these days I am going to hike on that trail. Unfortunately that is about all I have ever done is think about it. But someday…….
I love talking with people, reading stories, and articles about cross country hiking. In my first year here I was asked to go and find a person who had become disoriented on the trail and was in need of rescue. Fortunately, I was able to help and he and I over the years have kept in touch.
Recently I read on a blog about a man who set out on the North Country Trail, eager for adventure in the Appalachian wilderness. What began as a hopeful journey quickly turned into a struggle for survival. He became dehydrated, sick, weak, and disoriented. The beauty of the trail faded into the noise of fear, imagining the shadows of the forest with night approaching to be something they weren’t, a cold drizzle and the sense of being utterly alone with no one to help guide him. In the blog he confesses he thought he would die out there.
He pulled out his trail map and noticed a small icon he had missed before—a shelter somewhere ahead. With what strength he had left, he pressed on through unfamiliar terrain. What felt like days as he trampled and tripped over tree roots, the sound of coyotes howling in the distance, he hoped that the shelter would truly be there.
Finally, through the trees, he saw it: A simple wooden structure. A refuge from the storm. A place to breathe again.
Inside, the wind calmed. The fear quieted. The darkness no longer pressed in. As he lay on the wooden platform, the fading light revealed words etched into the wall:
“The Lord is good,a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.”—Nahum 1:7
He wasn’t a believer. But the words pierced him.
What did it mean that God was a stronghold?
What did it mean that God knows those who seek refuge?
He searched the verse on his phone with the limited signal and battery life he had left and read it again. Slowly, deeply. And in that mountain shelter, he realized he had been longing for more than physical safety. He had been longing for God’s shelter for his soul. A refuge for the weary, a covering in fear, a peace stronger than the fear around him.
I’ve had those same moments in my life. Where and when I needed that shelter. A shelter that couldn’t be found in any other person, way, or thing. Couldn’t be bought or stolen. It could only be realized by stepping away and stepping into the shelter of God. I love those moments when we don’t what it is, or how it is, but we know who it is. Even if we never believed before, we feel God, the great I Am.
I confess that I don’t know much about Nahum. It is a minor prophet between Micah and Habakkuk near the end of the Old Testament. Just three short chapters that reminds us that God is not simply near us in trouble, that God is our stronghold. That we will be protected against all enemies. The shelter, be clear the only shelter, not just a shelter, but the shelter, we must reach to when life overwhelms us. Regardless, if it is our first time or we have been to the shelter many times, God says “come to me you who are weary and carrying a heavy burden.” Here is a suggestion, just take up residence in the shelter of God.
My friends, don’t be afraid to admit weakness, or fear, or anxiety, because when we find shelter in God, that will be the only place, we will find rescue. It doesn’t mean the waves will stop crashing against the boat it just means we have the life preserver.
Today, whether your “wilderness” is fear, illness, exhaustion, uncertainty, or a burden no one else sees, hear this truth:
You are not alone. You have shelter. God invites you in.
Prayer: Lord, You are my refuge. When I am weary, afraid, or uncertain, draw me into Your shelter. Be my stronghold in the day of trouble and let me rest in Your goodness. Amen.
Thoughts from the Edges 
Leave a comment