(C)2008 CHARLES W DAVIS 425-415-8316
Photo ©2008 and Commentary ©2026 by Chuck Davis
Monday, January 12, 2026
The image for today’s photo parable comes to us from the Oregon Coast near Taft, which is closely associated with Lincoln City. The peaceful waters of the Siletz Bay remind me of the importance of having a safe place to shelter during a time of storm.
In the Bible, bridges are used metaphorically to represent the need for building and maintaining connections between God and humankind. Ultimately, God sent his Son, Jesus to build/become the bridge that reconnects us to God’s original plan for us. “A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it” (Isaiah 35:8 NASB).
And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ (Luke 16:26, KJV).
A skeptic might read these verses and lose heart, thinking that the gulf is too wide, the bridge is too narrow, but Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6 NIV). When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Just as the men who built a bridge over Bear Creek to get to the valuable minerals of the Bear Basin Mines, God, desiring to reach his most valued possessions, His sons, and daughters, built a bridge to provide a way. May the next bridge you cross remind you of Jesus, the bridge that connects humanity to eternity.
The most famous verse about God being our shelter is Psalm 46:1: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble,” highlighting Him as a safe haven in crises. Other key verses include Psalm 91:2, which calls Him “my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust,” and Psalm 18:2, where David declares, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer”.
Key Verses for “God is our shelter”:
• Psalm 46:1 (NIV): “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble”.
• Psalm 91:2 (NIV): “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust'”.
• Psalm 18:2 (ESV): “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold”.
• Psalm 62:8 (ESV): “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us”.