Cover from the Tempest

A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, and a cover from the tempest, ....
Isaiah 32:2

They call it a rainforest for a reason. By definition, a jungle receives over 100 inches of rain a year. Where we lived in Ecuador, S.A. we got 200. Down there we had a rainy season and a rainier season. Actually, it rained every day. During rainy season it would rain 15-30 minutes per day and during January and February it might rain all day long for days at a time.

The jungle people went barefoot or wore plastic boots. They often used Elephant Ear leaves as umbrellas or covered themselves with a six foot square piece of plastic sheeting. Nobody likes staying out in the rain, so even native South Americans sought cover from the tempest. They generally stayed in their thatched huts while it rained and wove baskets or made hammocks.

We had sheets of galvanized roofing on our house which didn't have to be replaced as often as the woven palm branches of the Indians' houses, but the metal roof was much noisier in a storm. The sound would keep visitors from the United States awake at night, but I found it to be relaxing. The steady pouring of the rain drowned out the harsher noises of life and it was a great calming effect to realize that I was dry and warm inside while the wind, rain, and cold were on the other side of the wall. Many, many nights, I fell asleep listening to the falling rain.

Jesus is like that. There is the feeling of safety and security while abiding in Him. The storms of life and winds of time wear a body down, but enjoying fellowship with Christ dissolves the stress and calms the soul. He is the believer's hiding place from the wind, and Cover from the Tempest.