Category Archives: Christian Life

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God As a Safe Place

God is my Safe Place

Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly plague. He will cover you with His feathers; under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day.

Psalm 91:3-5

I don’t know exactly when I realized that God is my safe place. He is my safe place wherever I am. I go to God with my troubles. I cling to Him when I am afraid. I trust God to keep me safe. God is my Rock. He is my fortress. God is my ever present help in times of trouble. Every day is a good day because God is in it.

God covers me with His feathers.

I love the imagery of God covering me with His feathers. This is a protective stance of a mother bird with her baby birds under her wings. It is also a loving stance as we see a mother’s care for her youngsters. Just like a fledgling knows his mother will protect him, I know my Father in Heaven will protect me in the storms of life. I can rest in this knowledge of my heavenly father.

This does not mean there won’t be any storms in my life. It does mean that God is with me through the storm. God does not abandon His children. He is like a mighty fortress in which I find safety and help, in which I find my courage and strength to face whatever befalls me.

God is faithful

God never waivers nor capitulates. He remains strong, valiant, courageous. We see this in Christ, in His confrontations, trial, beating, and death on the cross. We see a measure of this same strength in Christ’s devoted followers–His disciples, the Apostle Paul, and Christian martyrs. They were pillars of faith; resolute, unyielding, firm in their faith. We may be called to stand alone for our faith. Should that happen, God will give us the courage and strength at the time when we need it. One person can make a difference.

There is a story of a monk in Roman days who had gone to the Colosseum to watch a gladiator match. As he watched the gladiators fight to the death he was appalled by the evil for what it was. He was so impacted by what he saw that he ran down the steps to intervene, yelling, ” Stop! This isn’t right. Stop!” He ran down to the ring where the gladiators were fighting. According to one account, they ran him through. According to legend, the emperor was so impressed by the monk’s bravery, and the crowd so affected by his actions that this became the last gladiatorial match in the Colosseum. You can read about it here.

We can rest in Him

Psalm 78:35 says, “They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.” Many are the hymns which we sing that express this truth about God, that Jesus is the Rock upon which we stand.

  • “On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
  • “O, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land–a Shelter in a time of storm.”
  • “The wise man built his house upon a Rock.”

Trust in God is a mighty assurance to us in our faith. Our trust has the ability to grow. I trust God more today that I did 10 years, 5 years, and one year ago. My trust grows exponentially. I am learning to trust God with more of my stuff as I have learned He is gracious, willing, and able to bear it. We can be hesitant to trust Him with our complicated issues, but He gets us, and He wants us to trust Him with it. He is a trustworthy God, and He never fails us. The challenge for me is to trust God with my burdens and leave them with Him. I want to worry, when He says, “Trust Me.” Then it becomes an exercise in re-giving my burdens back to Him.

I’m so glad that God is our Divine Protector, that He covers us with His feathers. He has our best interest at heart. We can trust Him with every burden. And best of all, we need not fear Him, for He is a kind, loving, gracious Father.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.” -Psalm 91:1-2

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I wish you well on your spiritual journey.

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A Muddled Life & Sacrifices of Praise

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name. And do not neglect to do good and to share with others for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Heb. 13-15,16

This post is going to be a little different. I’ve been struggling some with my emotions. I’ve been going through something that’s personal that involves someone precious to me. I’ve spent a lot of time on my knees praying for a break-through, for wisdom, help, and God’s intervention.

I’m going to share some verses that have helped me keep my mind focused on Father God. I hope you will see their power. What is odd about this battle is that I feel weakened. That’s something I rarely experience in my spiritual life, and it makes me extra vulnerable. Also, it seems like I am dealing with life in a fog. No doubt, there is an enemy undercover attack in all this.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Jn. 8:36

Yet, I am determined that God will get the victory. That I will give Him praise in all things. That my tears will not be wasted. That God is at work in this situation and in people’s hearts (including mine). I am trusting in my Savior to do what only He can do.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generation, forever and ever. Amen” Eph. 3:20,21

As I pray, I imagine God caring for the ones I pray for and bringing His life before them in a clear way. I know, I believe, I trust in the power of God. Yet, I stumble and muddle through my days. The other day, I asked my sister to pray, but I couldn’t pray. I was too emotional to pray. My heart is tender right now.

“When faith ceases to pray, it ceases to live. Faith and prayer move God, which is our part. God moves mountains, which is God’s part.” E.M. Bounds

I was wrestling in prayer. I knew this was biblical. I would wake up in the early hours and go straight to prayer. God kept me, and helped me, and comforted me. I was reading in the Word when this verse touched me.

“The battle belongs to the Lord.” 1 Sam. 17:47

We don’t know what God is doing or going to do, so we pray, trust, and believe. It is when we realize that God has allowed every circumstance in our life for a reason that we can accept it and give Him praise for the outcome.

“To live a life of uninterrupted happiness in God, looking on every circumstance as coming form God, and thanking Him for it — That is Christian perfection.” Merlin Carothers, Power in Praise

I was praying this morning when my spirit began to lighten. I imagined myself in a field of flowers, wearing a cotton print dress, and twirling as I lifted my arms to the sky. I was saying words of praise and thanksgiving. All day I kept that image in my mind for when the depressing worries came to defeat me. I smile when I see myself abandon to Him in joyful praise.

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 2:5

Today was an errand day, and my last place to visit was the optometrist’s office. The guy who helped me had helped me a month ago. He remembered me and said I’m very calm, that it is remarkable considering the hassle I’ve been dealing with regarding replacing my dad’s glasses.

When he said that, I thought, what he’s seeing in my demeanor is God, because God is helping me. In retrospect, I should have said, “I have a secret.” Then he would say, “What is your secret?” and I would say, “God,” because it’s true. Very true indeed.

Would you pray for me? Thank you.

I wish you well on your spiritual journey.