Do not be dismayed...

 Last week I was out walking with my little dog, Pinocchio.  He is a nine pound toy dog, and while he is always interested in other dogs, he is fearful of those dogs who are bigger, noisier and more boisterous than he is.  (Which describes pretty much every other dog around us.)  

We were happily walking along on a beautiful evening, enjoying the fresh air and the setting sun, when I saw this black blur in my peripheral vision.  Before I knew what was happening, a large, black lab had literally run over Pinocchio and was jumping all over me, putting my little dog at risk of injury and knocking me over.  I moved as fast as I could, trying to hold back this dog by its collar while picking up my own dog, but it took a minute and the fear had set in.  Pinocchio was afraid for the rest of the walk.

I had a feeling that wasn't the last I would see of that dog, and I was right.  The next day, as we were coming up to that same house, I picked up Pinocchio, who was already nervous, well in advance, and it was a good thing I did, because next thing I knew, here was that dog jumping on us again.

Refuge

 Many years ago, I was facing one of the most difficult moments of my life.  I felt alone, hanging on by my fingernails from the end of that rope that was constantly fraying and threatening to come apart on me.  I did what I often do in those moments, when there is only one place to turn for solace, and when I needed an actual answer, a real word from God.  I turned to God's Word, and the answer fell open to me.  I let the Bible open where it chose, and there was Psalm 91.  No doubt I had read it many times before, but it was all new to me that day, and it gave me a peace I wasn't able to feel any other way.

I love the entire Psalm, but verses 1-2 really say it all for me, and I come back to them again and again.

You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”