A Shelter in the Field: Listening for God in Fragile Seasons

Isaiah 1:8

Daughter Zion is left

    like a shelter in a vineyard,

like a hut in a cucumber field,

    like a city under siege.

Scriptures are God's Word to us. A spiritual practice is to allow God's word to us to prompt our conversation with God. In the upcoming posts, I will be sharing prayers that have been prompted by various verses in Isaiah. Recently, a prayer has emerged from this verse:

A Prayer from the Field and the City

God of mercy and truth,I come to You just as I am—not fortified, not impressive,sometimes feeling like a small shelter left in an open field.

You see the places in me that are exposed,the parts of my life that feel temporary, worn, or fragile.I do not hide them from You now.I name them before You.

When I feel like a hut after harvest—lonely, leaning, unsure of how long I can stand—remind me that I am still here because You are still faithful.

When I feel like a city under siege—surrounded by pressure, fatigue, or fear—be my defender where I have no strength left.

Forgive me for trusting what could not last.Rebuild in me what is meant to remain.Teach me to rest in Your presencerather than striving to secure myself.

Thank You that You have not abandoned me.Thank You that this is not the end of my story.Be my refuge, my shelter, my peace.

I place what still stands into Your hands.

Amen.