Let's talk about being KEPT SAFE

The Spirit invites us to secure rest by painting multiple word pictures for us in Psalm 91. "He who 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.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." (Psalm 91:1-4, NIV)
 
The Lord inspired the writer to load those lines with one reassuring metaphor piled on another.

We read of dwelling, settling down, in the “shelter” of God. The word invites us to a hiding place, a secret place in the Presence of the Lord. When you were a kid did you have a place to which you could retreat, your hide-out? Maybe it was a corner of the attic, or a place at the back of your clothes closet, or a spot in the woods behind your house? In my case, I used to love to climb up into the hay loft of our horse barn, where I built little forts with the hay bales. It seemed like nothing in the world could find me there!  WE are invited to go and find a place with God and the result, the Psalm says, is “rest” in God’s overshadowing Presence.  I encourage you to retreat to that place often, especially now.

We know Him as our “refuge and fortress.”  The words have related but different meanings for us. The refuge was a shelter in a stormy time, where a person could get ‘out of the weather.’  I love a tempestuous thunderstorm IF I have a secure refuge from which to observe the fury of the wind and rain. The explosive crack of lightning followed by the roll of thunder awes me, if I feel safe. God invites us to come to Him and find a secure place from which we can observe the storm without fear.  In a related word, the Psalmist says He is a fortress. 

Not so long ago, in time of war the only secure place was the castle, the fortress with stone walls and strong gates. When devils attack, when enemies circle, when we feel threat to our safety, God invites us to secure ourselves in Him. Remember, Christian, you are secure; Christ’s grace your fortress. "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away." (Romans 8:38, NLT)

The word picture I love most today is found in this phrase:  “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.”  This was the comfort in which the Lord awakened me this morning. This farm boy knows the image well from my days around the chickens! When Mother Hen sensed danger, she clucked a rapid code that signaled her chicks to come running. She spread her wings, ruffled her feathers, and those chicks disappeared under her, hidden away. She put herself at risk from a hawk or predator in order to keep her chicks safe.  

 What a comfort to know that God loves us with a mother love, a self-sacrificing love. Jesus holds out a covering for us, our sins forgiven, our guilt erased, the accusations of our deadly Enemy rendered meaningless by God’s grace, shown in the Cross, and sworn true by the Resurrection.

With a childlike faith, secure yourself today in the secret place of the Presence of God.
Run to the refuge, feel the comfort of knowing that He is your secure fortress.

Ask for faith to let His wings of safety cover you.

Make this word from the Word your meditation today. "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare of the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I am trusting him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from the fatal plague. He will shield you with his wings. He will shelter you with his feathers. His faithful promises are your armor and protection." (Psalm 91:1-4, NLT)

___________

Your Wings

(take 3 minutes and listen to Lauren Daigle sing this song.)

When ten thousand arrows take flight

Remind me that You are my armor

There's always a place I can hide

When I am desperate for shelter

You're my covering

I'm safe I'm safe

Whatever comes at me

I'm safe I'm safe

You got me under Your wings under Your wings

I'm under I'm under Your wings

You got me You cover me You cover me

I'm under I'm under Your wings

With every step that I take

You are before and behind me

In every fear that I face

Oh I'm constantly finding

Jason Ingram | Lauren Daigle | Lauren Strahm | Paul Mabury

© 2018 CentricSongs (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

See You At The Pub (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Fellow Ships Music (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)

Flychild Publishing (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)

So Essential Tunes (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)

CCLI License # 810055

Let's talk about COPING

There is no question that Americans are collectively stressed to the maximum. We have never lived through anything like this COVID19 experience. The media bombards us with statistics and stories that have magnified fear to astonishing levels. Throw in 20,000,000 out of work with no date to regain job and income. 

Now we have a social situation that can bring out some not so admirable human behaviors, attempts to cope. Guess what? It’s happening.

Pornography sites are reporting higher use rates than ever, all over the world, use up by 20-30 %. Porn is a quick way to find temporary relief from reality.  Some sites are diabolically snaring people with free access right now. These new porn users may not be able to escape the quickly developing addiction when the crisis closes. Internet porn is accurately labeled the “crack-cocaine of sex addiction.”

Most governors thought churches should be closed but left liquor stores open, an interesting glimpse of our social values. A market research firm reported that in March alcohol sales were up sharply. Wine sales were up 66% over the previous year. Tequila, gin, and vodka sales jumped by 75%. 
A more benign sign of our stress can be found in the stats from Netflix™. In one week in late March, users streamed 156 billion minutes of content, up 36%.

I am not sharing these things to frighten you, nor have I any desire to pile on shame! 
I want you to know that WE can do better!  Is it easy to cope? Not always.  We will not just slip into wholeness, there must be choices for positive change.

Let’s turn towards encouragement! You can do more than survive!  How?

First of all – Get real about your stress, your fears, with God.

Even if you have never prayed before, you can pray now. Just get alone and start talking! Tell Him the truth about the pressure, the problems, even where you know you are failing.  You do not need a huge surge of faith, or a vision. Jesus said even a spark of faith is sufficient. He knows where you are, what you are dealing with, and never will belittle you or turn away. He does not compare you to others and ask, “Why aren’t YOU doing better?”  He comes to us in the Spirit and stands with us, working for us. 

Right now would you ask the Lord to increase your faith and help you to move forward? This is His promise: "The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us … in accordance with God’s will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:26-28, NIV)  

Second – Factor in the things for which you are thankful!

Earlier this week, I stood on my front porch and started listing the things that are positive and in a few minutes, I found a new perspective. We can become so wrapped up in our very real problems that we fail to see the resources that could be available to us.  More importantly, we cannot forget that today is the prelude to the rest of our days. God has a purpose for us.  So, we must "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith! " (Hebrews 12:2)  

Third – Reach out for support!

Call a friend. Talk with family. Don’t isolate yourself in the basement! Even if you feel awful, make an effort to get connected. Use your phone and/or social media in it’s best way!

Fourth – Feed faith!

FoxNews, MSNBC, and CNN are not your friends right now. Frankly, some preachers aren’t either.  All that ‘bad news’ repeatedly endlessly by talking heads; all those apocalyptic visions of the End Times that some ministries are promoting, is exaggerated noise to keep you locked in, increasing viewer stats and income. We can change our view of reality with all of the information which includes the fact that God is bigger than COVID19 and that the world is not coming to an end.

He is Lord of life and reminds us that those who love Him are held in the palm of His hand. Paul’s life was a mess. He wrote to his friends that " we expected to die. But as a result, we learned not to rely on ourselves, but on God who can raise the dead. And he did deliver us from mortal danger. And we are confident that he will continue to deliver us." (2 Corinthians 1:9-10, NLT)

Fifth – Live this day, fully engaged with this moment.

All those ‘what-if’ questions can be exhausting and will surely make us even more anxious. We make good choices today, not drinking to excess, not watching porn, not overspending, loving others, listening, serving where we can. If you are able, go take a walk. Sit in the sun (when it shines).  Remember what Jesus says – “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”  (Matthew 6:34)

You can COPE with life. You do not have to fall apart. Come on, let’s do this together.

_____________

Way Maker

You are here moving in our midst

I worship You I worship You

You are here working in this place

I worship You I worship You

(You are) Way Maker Miracle Worker Promise Keeper

Light in the darkness my God that is who You are

You are here touching ev'ry heart

I worship You I worship You

You are here healing ev'ry heart

I worship You I worship You

You are here turning lives around

I worship You I worship You

You are here mending ev'ry heart

I worship You yeah I worship You Lord

That is who You are

That is who You are

That is who You are

That is who You are

Even when I don't see it You're working

Even when I don't feel it You're working

You never stop You never stop working

You never stop You never stop working

Osinachi Kalu Okoro Egbu

© 2016 Integrity Music Europe (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music [DC Cook]))

CCLI License # 810055

Lessons Learned

Yesterday I was wishing I could talk to my grandparents, all of whom were born around the dawn of the 20^th century. I would love to ask them about how they lived in times of awful hardship. They were part of what we call “The Great Generation.” They lived through amazing change: the arrival of the automobile, electric power, modern medicine, among other things. They also lived through 2 World Wars and the Great Depression. Somehow through all of that they raised children that were 4 times more likely to be college educated, who enjoyed a higher standard of living than any previous generation. 

It is not my intent to romanticize an era which had problems, too. Racism was a terrible and broadly accepted part of the nation. African Americans were excluded from power, denied access to wealth, and largely kept from justice. Women had few opportunities outside of the home. Imperfect? Yes, they were. But, in spite of hardships we find it hard to grasp, they created the America we know today.

Those who study that generation suggest common values that carried them through the adversities and created the prosperous nation we know.
They accepted personal responsibility for life.
They were humble, willing to do what was necessary.
They had an unbelievable work ethic and took great pride in what they did, many working at the same craft or job for their entire lives.

They were financially prudent, people who looked with skepticism on borrowing to get the latest gadget.

They were loyal, making and keeping commitments to family, church, and country.

Faith was a foundation for the majority of that generation. On the whole, their faith was much less focused on experiencing God and His blessings than ours is. God did not exist in their minds to make them happy, but rather to shape their thoughts and guide their actions. It is also true that the 2^nd World War shook the religious traditions of many. The questions caused thousands to leave the traditional churches of their families. This brought about leading to the rise of Evangelicalism that preached a personal God, that He could be known, and in Christ Jesus people could find transformation for their broken, sinful, human nature.

As we make our way through a time of crisis that has the potential to reshape America (it already is!) I hope we will not lose sight of what makes this country unique and great.  We might wish to take some lessons from the Great Generation.
 

First among them is the decision to return God to His rightful place in our lives. Before we cry for a return of our blessings, I believe we need to do some deep soul-searching, both individually and as a nation. We love to quote 2 Chronicles, focusing on the promise, largely forgetting the call. "At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or I might command locusts to devour your crops, or I might send plagues among you. Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:13-14, NLT)

That passage invites us to stop blaming others and to turn to God. He desires humility, that we set aside our entitlement mindset to seek HIM! He wants true repentance, not just regret. Repentance is about profound change. It is never easy, nor is it pleasant to let the Spirit of God disturb us so deeply that it transforms us, inside out. But, those things are keys to finding His wholeness both individually and as a country.

I cannot talk to my grandparents, they are all in Heaven, beyond this world of trouble.
But, I think these are some of the things they would say to me out of their experiences of tragic times and God’s faithfulness.
 

1.       The world is not about to end. The sooner you stop letting that narrative terrorize you, the better. 

2.      The world is going to change. Life is not static, nor should we want that to be true.

3.      Growth means change.

My prayer is that we will grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the foundation for an abundant life and life eternal.

Here is a word from the Word. It is rather lengthy. Take some time to meditate on these words of God today.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
(1 Peter 1:3-9, NIV)

__________

My faith has found a resting place,

Not in device nor creed.

I trust the ever-living One

His wounds for me will plead.

I need no other argument,

I need no other plea.

It is enough that Jesus died,

And that He died for me.

Enough for me that Jesus saves,

This ends my fear and doubt;

A sinful soul I come to Him,

He'll never cast me out.

- Lidie Edmunds, Public domain