I am a 38-year-old woman who owns three guinea pigs. My husband and I do not have children, these are our guinea pigs.

 

I’ll let you soak that in for a moment. I know it seems odd to many that we would own guinea pigs. I’ve always thought they were adorable and I never had any when I was younger so a little over a year ago, we bought some. If I had known then what poo machines they are and how often I would be washing fleece bedding, I may have thought twice about it. Nonetheless, they are adorable and I love them and they are worth all the effort for the joy they bring me.

 

I have them in a 2×5 C&C cage, which you can kind of see in the picture below.

 

Yesterday evening as I stood over their cage looking down on them, I was thinking about the best way to protect them. We had threats of severe weather in our area and after the tornadoes in April of 2011, we make sure we have a game plan in place. Well, the guinea pigs were a new factor in our game plan. We don’t have a basement and the closet at the center of the house is barely big enough for me, my husband and our 5 pound Chihuahua, Spaz. Trust me, her name fits.

 

I have a small pet store cage that I use to temporarily hold the guinea pigs when I am cleaning their big cage. My thought was, if necessary, to put them in the small cage and set that small cage in the bathtub, no water of course.

 

Then I reminded myself of what I prayed yesterday and how I rebuked the storms and realized I wouldn’t need to do that because I was standing firm in my prayer.

 

But as I stood there, looking down, it occurred to me how helpless they were and they didn’t even know it. I looked at them running around in their 2×5 home with the storage area underneath, their “basement”, so to speak.

 

Just follow along for a moment with me. Yes, I know they are guinea pigs. If they knew a tornado was coming that had the potential to destroy their “home”, that 2×5 cage, their best course of action would be to hide in the storage area underneath. From my perspective however, I knew they wouldn’t be any safer in that storage area underneath than upstairs in their “home” if a tornado ripped through.

 

The only thing that would keep them safe was me. I’m their keeper. I’m their master. I’m their protector. I would have to scoop them up, put them somewhere else that I knew to be safer for them, like the bathtub, statistically speaking.

 

I pictured this and realized that was equivalent to us, as humans, hiding in our basement during a tornado. From God’s perspective, are we any safer hiding in the basement than sitting in the living room?

 

I know God is my Keeper. I know He is my Master. I know He is my Protector. I had revelation in this moment, staring at three stinky guinea pigs, exactly what that meant and how important He is in my life.

 

It doesn’t matter where I am, He protects me.

 

We as humans are little poo machines who God loves regardless. He may have thought twice about it after creating Adam and Eve when they went and messed up but He loves us regardless. He watches over us as we bring Him joy. Did you know YOU bring God joy? You do. Ask Him how.

 

I realized I brought joy to Him earlier that day when I prayed against the storms and stood on His Word. I smiled knowing who protects me. I rejoiced in the fact that I have a good Heavenly Father who looks over me, protects me, feeds me, gives me water and guides me.

 

I was reminded of my favorite Psalm which is Psalm 91. I thanked God for his protection and we spent the evening as we normally would. The wind didn’t blow much, the lightening was nothing abnormal, there was no hail and the rain was heavy but soft. There were no tornadoes, the lights didn’t go off and I slept good last night.

 

 

 

PSALM 91:1 (KJV) www.biblegateway.com

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.