Where’s The Shelter?

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Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

There are not many truly safe places in this world. When you feel like you’re coming apart, when you honestly can’t hold it together anymore, you will start mentally scanning your places of refuge. As people come to mind, you wonder if all of your disclosures will be welcomed. Will they be received the way Jesus would receive them? Without shock, without dismissal, and without subtle judgment? Most of us know the answer. Partially. The relief is usually limited. So there are details you will still keep back, corners you will still guard.

Not so with God. He doesn’t simply provide a shelter; He is the shelter. We are hidden in Christ. With Him, no disclosure is too personal, too raw, or too desperate. As we begin to unburden our souls, Jesus does more than listen. He assesses the damage the enemy has inflicted and begins spiritual surgery. He reframes what we’ve lived through with perfect wisdom. He uncovers lies, clarifies the truth, and starts rebuilding weakened foundations.

His Word becomes the iron in the framework of our minds and emotions, the unseen strength inside a life that has learned where true safety really is.

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27

The Effects Of You

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Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statues.  Psalm 119:135

When lovers walk into the same room after a long separation, there is a pregnant moment when their faces light up, wordless exclamations pour out, and then arms are open to embrace without any thought of restraint.  Sheer happiness causes their faces to glow.

One of the meanings of ‘shine’ in this text is what happens when the sun arises at daybreak.  The dark begins to abate with the glorious entrance of light on the horizon.  It is not just any light; it is a bit orange and golden.  Nothing resembles a sunrise because it has characteristics all its own.  Perhaps David is trying to convey that God is so warmed by His children that His countenance is transformed when He sees us.  It is like the dawning of a sunrise upon the heart.  What a beautiful picture.

To feel the warmth of His smile is to have the best of all gifts today. I can stand in any storm if I know His face is turned toward me. I can find endless reserves of strength if I know that His face is traced with tenderness.  David did not ask for more power, more wealth, or even more peace.  He asked for God’s smile.  In the radiance of God’s favor, David wants to be taught.  Instruction is never more effective than when one worships the Teacher.  David  is the star pupil in a class of one.  God is not a distant professor but a warm, engaging, and storytelling Father.

Bring to me the sunrise of your smile, Father.  Then let my face be radiant with all the effects of You.  Amen

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Learning God’s Pace

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Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me. Psalm 119:133

When I was young, my parents used to say I played “nervous music.” Whenever our family was getting ready for a special event, I was usually the first one dressed. I’d come downstairs, slip onto the piano bench, and launch into something fast and demanding—maybe a Bach fugue, maybe a string of Hanon exercises at full speed. It was my way of burning off the dread of being around people, my introverted heart bracing itself for crowds and conversations. What no one knew then was that my nervous music was almost always accompanied by a nervous stomach. My body was preaching a sermon I didn’t yet know how to hear: You’re pushing too hard.

This morning I woke up with the image of a sprinter in my mind; a runner exploding out of the starting line, using everything he has in the first stretch. He looks impressive for a moment, but he won’t win. The one who finishes well is the one who knows how to pace himself. A wise runner still exerts effort, still strains and sweats, but he does it with steadiness.

The same is true of a life lived for Jesus. He has never asked me to be the fastest or the brightest. He asks me to show up, to stay on the track, to keep moving with Him. The temptation, though, is always there to compete, to impress, to push past my limits so I’ll stand out. That kind of striving feels spiritual on the surface, but it ends in a crash. It’s not holy; it’s just adrenaline in a religious disguise.

I’m learning that my Father is not a taskmaster with a stopwatch; He is a Shepherd who graciously offers me the grace I need for a kind, steady pace. There is a deep stability in measured steps. Even in seasons when I have an abundance of energy and ideas, there is still a “right pace” for me, and God is faithful to show me how to channel it instead of being consumed by it. But when I feel myself driven, bearing down, and internally sprinting, I know it: I’ve slipped out of my holy gait.

Better to slow, breathe, and fall back in step with You. Help me. Amen

Looking Through Dark Glasses

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Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope.  Psalm 119:116

Can others see that I have put all my hope in God?  Not if they don’t see something supernatural.  If I live by my flesh, never take a risk, never soar above my problems, never forgive injustices, never give God glory when my trials would otherwise swallow me up, others will not see anything that doesn’t look like normal human behavior.  When I speak of God, they will easily discount my faith because I think and act like everyone else.

Job became a spiritual legend because he never cursed God.  That was his greatest hallmark.  Who does that when their life completely crumbles around them? When my losses begin to compile and, one by one, things and people are taken from me, God can begin to look guilty through my distorted glasses.

Every person tends to have a limit, a straw that breaks the camel’s back.  When that ‘thing’ happens, we throw up our hands and say, “That’s it!  God can’t be trusted.” Our face turns sour, our trust erodes, our praise disappears, and our testimony ends.  We are put to shame by those who are looking for any excuse to turn their backs on God.

David knew how tenuous his praise was.  He cried out for God to hold him up lest his faith fail.  If ever David had reason to wonder if God had abandoned him, David did.  Yet, he clung to faith and the awareness that someone in the throes of a trial cannot see the big picture.  He trusted an eternal, sovereign God, and never let fear and deception about God’s character take root.  He declared Yahweh glorious despite the circumstances.

When others speak of my life, may they say… “There’s no way anyone could have survived that without God.”  I want you to be glorified in my life on the worst of days.  Uphold me so that I can be faithful to praise you.  Amen

Fearing The Creatures Of The Night

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You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. Psalm 91:6-7

In the original Hebrew, these verses were thought to pertain to flesh-and- blood enemies.  But hundreds of years before Jesus, the Jews who translated this passage into Greek understood that these enemies were demonic forces.  Demons are referenced all through this Psalm. 

There’s a lot to learn about the demonic; why they present themselves in certain places and not others, and what must be done to close the door to their activity.  None of us needs to fear dark spirits. If we grasp the power and authority that is ours in Christ, they will fear us!   

Having traveled extensively, I’ve stayed in all kinds of places.  Each has a history. Wherever historical atrocities have been committed, there is a demonic residue that remains.  Think of every hotel room ~ how many people stay there. Think of what has transpired.  The first thing I do after unlocking the door is address the darkness, pray scripture, and use my God-given authority to cleanse it.  I’ve spent many sleepless, fitful nights in rooms I’d been too lazy to take care of beforehand.  Agitation and bad dreams ruined my stay.  Believe me, it’s not worth ignoring it. 

I’ve also stayed in many homes.  Some felt peaceful when I entered.  Others felt dark as soon as I pulled in the driveway.  

It’s instinctive to fear enemies we cannot see, but God sees them. He is a kind Father who equips His children to prevail over spiritual forces.  In Christ, we have every weapon to fight, and win.  Every sniveling, pathetic creature, even high-ranking spirits, will tremble when saints know how to wield the sharp sword of the Word of God.

Hidden in You, I am feared by Your enemies.  Thank you.  Amen

When My Heart Feels Nothing

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Will you not revive us again: that Your people may rejoice in you? Psalm 85:6

I’ve known periods when I couldn’t seem to hear God’s voice. Pain and discouragement veiled His voice.  He was there but I couldn’t sense Him.  He was guiding me, but I couldn’t discern the guidance.  It was a spiritual battle to just believe that I wasn’t alone. 

I’ve also known periods where God seemed very much engaged with me.  So much of what I read impacted me like electricity to my spirit.  Answers to prayer came in quick succession.  My pen couldn’t seem to capture the litany of things I was being taught by God.  I lived on a mountaintop and journal entries read with the intensity of someone in love.

But most of life is lived some place in the middle – in between being fully alive and partially dulled.  There are inspiring moments but mostly, days require spiritual discipline to walk faithfully.  It can be confusing.  You’d be hard pressed to describe what is wrong.  It’s a nagging malaise and you’d give anything just to feel something again.

What precipitates a journey into numbness?  The crash after a mountaintop.  The day after a victorious battle.  The period following prolonged stress.   A season during which multiple changes are occurring.  The flesh is tired.  The heart is spent.  Only God knows how to restore and revive.

If you are there today, let me write a prayer using today’s scripture as a springboard.  This is the beginning of healing. 

“Revive me, Lord!  I’m bringing my lifeless heart to you.  Something has dulled it.  I don’t know myself well enough to even diagnose why I’m in this condition.  All I know is ~ I want to want You again.  I want to be thrilled by Your voice.  I want to be alive to Your Word.  Give life to my lifeless heart.  In Jesus name, Amen”

A Story To Close . . .

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The story is told of an actor known for his readings and recitations of the Classics. He always ended his performance with a dramatic recital of Psalm 23. Each night, without exception, as the actor began his recitation — “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” — the crowd would listen attentively and then rise with thunderous applause, in appreciation of the actor’s ability to bring the psalm to life. 

One night, just before the actor was to offer his customary recital of Psalm 23, a young man from the audience spoke up. “Sir, would you mind if tonight, I recite Psalm 23?” 

The actor was surprised by this unusual request. However he invited the young man to come onto the stage to recite the psalm; curious to see the how the ability of this youth weighed against his own talent.  

Softly the young man began to recite the words of the psalm. When he was finished, there was no applause. There was no standing ovation as on other nights. All that could be heard was the sound of weeping. The audience had been so moved by the youth’s recitation that every eye was tearful. 

Amazed by what he had experienced, the actor queried, “I don’t understand. I have been performing Psalm 23 for years. I have a lifetime of experience and training — but I have never been able to move an audience as you have tonight. Tell me, what is your secret?” The young man humbly replied, “Well sir, you know the psalm…but I know the Shepherd.”

Why Do You Want To Go Home?

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And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6

Ask a college student why they are eager to go home on Spring Break, and all kinds of answers emerge.  Sleep in. See their dog. Eat their favorite foods.  Go to their favorite local places with friends.  What might be far down on the list is spending time with parents.  

But heaven?  My Father is the center of my joy and the source of all other pleasures.  The feasting, prepared by God’s own hands, is depicted earlier in this Psalm.  Oil that runs abundantly over His child’s head is also described.  All of this portrays lavish hospitality in the Near Eastern culture.  This is a Father who satiates His children with unfathomable abundance. David says elsewhere, in his prayer to God, that he feasts on the abundance of God’s house and basks in the rivers of His delights.  

The word ‘delights’ is built from the same root word for Eden! Paradise restored.  The ending of our mortality is only a new beginning.  I shouldn’t be calling death the ‘end of life stage.’  It is the ‘embryo for new-life-stage.’  

It doesn’t feel good to go home and be treated like a guest; there are limits and a certain formality.  I’m not free to roam and fully relax. I can’t get a drink or fix myself a meal without it being offered.  Or, I know I have to ask for it.  I will not be a guest in the house of the Lord.  I will be home.  God’s lavish hospitality will be poured out on sons and daughters.

Someone once said, “Homecoming is hope with a scent: the moment your heart recognizes what your eyes haven’t seen in years.”  We might assume that to experience nostalgia, we have to have known it before.  Ah, but that is the grand mystery of heaven.  We are going home, and although we’ve never been there, it will feel like a homecoming.  All along, this eternity was put in our hearts.  

I can’t wait, God.  Amen

Why Doesn’t He Make It Easier?

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He leads me in paths of righteousness. Psalm 23:3

One of the gifts of moving slowly through Scripture is that familiar lines start to feel new again, like unwrapping something you thought you already knew. As someone well-seasoned in Bible study, it’s easy for me to assume I understand a phrase like “being led down paths of righteousness,” especially when I can quote Psalm 23 by heart. The truth is, I’m still being taught.

More than once I’ve asked, “Why does God make this so hard? If He promises to lead me because I’m a sheep who can’t find my way, why doesn’t make the path easier to find?”

Part of the answer is that God isn’t only guiding me; He’s growing me. If He did all the thinking for me, that would be spiritual toddlerhood. Infant faith starts that way, and that’s God’s mercy, but mature faith must eventually engage a renewed mind: thinking and discerning. Deep study and good theology aren’t the enemy. The problem is not the mind; it’s the flesh that resists being challenged or corrected. I have to train my mind, layer truth upon truth, and let wisdom shape my decisions.

Knowledge can tempt me to be prideful, but knowledge itself isn’t the danger. Pride is. “Paths of righteousness” aren’t secret trails for a few; God makes them clear at every stage of spiritual development. There’s milk for the young and solid food for the maturing. He offers humility to listen, grace to obey, and repeated encouragement to use my intellect under the authority of His Word.

I can be lazy and want to be led like a baby, to be carried, not formed. Lord, forgive me. Amen.

Oil Running Down My Face

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You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over. Psalm 23:5b

Remember when Jesus was baptized?  John the Baptist was breathless with wonder.  He was about to lower the Lamb of God beneath the surface of the river Jordan.  Time stood still, and this holy act unfolded in slow motion.  Jesus was submerged; then burst forth.  This only lasted for a moment, but neither was ever the same again.  This was confirmed as the heavens opened and God spoke words of blessing over His Son. A beautiful dove, the Holy Spirit, descended on Him.   

The Anointed One will anoint me. After a sumptuous meal at His table, this is His holy benediction.  I am seated at the table and He approaches me from behind.  He pours oil over my head and it runs down the side of my face.  “I have called you and you are mine,” He says.  I am filled to overflowing as His Spirit energizes each word He speaks.  The anointing accomplishes its purpose.  I’m blessed to live and serve in the power of His Spirit.  Just like Jesus.  

I leave this holy place in my spirit and enter the wildernesses of my life, just as Jesus did.  Oftentimes I am tempted to doubt the love of the One who anointed me but I remember.  My cup still overflows.  Memories are powerful things. Anytime I want, I can re-visit them. The feelings of being there return; sounds and smells are almost palpable. Each one feels like yesterday.  I was created with eternity in my heart. Though I’ve not yet been in person to the banquet table, I ‘know’ there.  My spirit, even at this moment, feels the impact of this encounter with the Anointed One.  Whether the the taste of manna or the feel of oil on my skin, both are real and sustaining.  

Anointed for service.  Filled to overflowing.  Today is lived for Your glory.  Amen