Refuge part 3
There are so many good verses in the Bible about hiding. About God hiding us. Protecting us. Keeping us safe. Here's the one I chose for tonight: "Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings" (Psalm 17:8). And I chose this one because it links up with Luke 13:34, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!" Here's the rub... we are the apple of God's eye. His prized possession. His favorite. And all He wants to do is gather us under his wings... hide us under the shadow of His wings... and keep us safe from all harm. But we don't always want to let Him. We think we know best. We think we can do it. The mindset that we see so often, "God's gonna sit this one out." Well... not really. Because even in the beginning when the heaven and earth (the mind and the body... you) were dark and void and without form, the Spirit of God hovered over the deep. He always has been and always will be with us. But I've long said I believe God is too much of a gentleman to force His will upon us. He makes things available to us. Certainly. And, you know, sometimes--like with Jonah and the whale--my pastor says, "Some are called... and some are corralled." But even then, its always with our best interests in mind. That conviction you feel is so strong sometimes. Coming from within, not from without. Not external pressure, but what's inside bubbling up and coming out. Naturally. Not thinking we have to fight every battle, do it all ourselves, but letting our heavenly Father take care of things for us. So many times in my life when I get upset about something I take a step back. And I trust the Lord to do what He wants to do. And it works out of me. And people are kind of amazed. And I just shrug. If I'm doing right--walking by faith, living in love--I have supreme and utter confidence that things will work out. Especially when I let God (love) be involved. Our life is hid with God in Christ, right? Hid in love. That's the hiding place. The safe place. That's what it means to be under His wings. We are safe there. Covered. Protected. LOVE is our cover. Our protection. Our refuge. But it comes down to that phrase we started with "apple of the eye." Listen, if you know and believe that God loves you with a sacrifical, agape, unconditional love, you'll be able to trust that He wants to protect you. To help and not hurt. Letting His Word (which is Jesus, which is love) light your path goes hand in hand with FOLLOWING that path. Our response is so important. Not God wanting to protect us, but us being unwilling. God made the Way of Grace. We respond with the Walk of Faith. He has made Himself a refuge for us. But if we run FROM Him instead of running TO Him... we kind of waste what's available to us. We wreck ourselves when we could (and should) be checking ourselves. We wear ourselves out fighting battles that God has already won instead of just letting love rule the day. Hiding behind love--letting love go before you--is the safest place you can be!