The Shadow of His Wings

How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7 NIV

This is a great verse from the Proverbs 31 online bible study. I love the comfort of refuge in the shadow of His wings. I have a necklace with an angel wing charm that reminds me I have God's protection and strength and keeps me focused on my mission.

David is known for His deep thirst for God and the beautiful Palms He wrote. One of our assignments this week was to write a Psalm of our own about God's unfailing love. I'm not a writer but thought it might be fun so here goes.

In the shadow of your wings I find comfort
In the darkness, I see your light
I work through the mysteries around me
and on your promises I hold on tight
Your presence is always near
Your messages are very clear
But I forget and fret
i forget and forget
Starting over again and again
But you are always a friend
I know you will hold me til the end
In the shadow of your wings

Hope in Christ

Then you will know that I am the Lord. Those who hope in me will not be disappointed.   Isaiah 49:23b NIV

I was talking to a co-worker today about confidence and how it paralyzes people. He was struggling with being fearful of saying the wrong thing so he just doesn’t say anything at all. All afternoon I looked up articles on confidence and found classes on public speaking. It really hit home because it touched on something I think many leaders including myself struggle with and I wanted to help. 

Then I got home and started the study and it made me think of the lack of confidence that Renee talks about in her book A Confident Heart and Renee’s question at the end of Chapter one that asked if I ever felt like the following statements:

“It’s too hard.”
“I might as well quit.”

Of course the answer is yes, I think we all have thought those thoughts at one time or another.  I am pretty stubborn though and I know that God has placed me where I am with a purpose. So I really have to use my antidote for insecurity and frustration and pray for God’s guidance and continue to step in confidence to be secure in the promise that God makes in Isaiah 49:23. I try to look for God's purpose in each day and in helping others it takes my focus off me and my insecurities and onto where God wants it to be, Him and his children. 

Somewhere in my bible studies I heard of the acronym JOY, Jesus, others, you that reminds us to do just that.  "Then you will know that I am the Lord. Those who hope in me will not be disappointed. " Isaiah 49:23



  

Trust

“I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” ~Isaiah 43:1b-3a

What protection the Lord has for us and possessiveness. It makes me feel calmer just knowing he is always with me.

summoned- called with authority

name-  To call by name indicates possession or ownership.

you are mine- lets us know how important we are to God and gives us the sense he will take care is us  ( as we take care if our own children.)

Waters- a symbol of distress or that which is overwhelming

There was a dark time in my life when the water was overwhelming me and the fire seemed to be lapping at my feet. I cried every morning in the shower, on the way to work and home and at night when sleep alluded me. I thought it was endless but everyday God sent something to tell me He loved me and would see me through to the other side.

He sent me a note from a friend or a call. He brought me the right Bible verse for what I needed that day.  He kept me busy in a job that I love so I could actually get through the day. He would send me a rainbow or a beautiful sunset. He allowed peace to slowly permeate my heart. He restored me and allowed a move so I could finally heal.

Since then of course I have gone through different hardships as we all do but what that time taught me is that if I give "it" up to him He will guide me. He is in charge and He has a plan. It is a struggle some days when I feel overwhelmed but I know God is faithful and that He will bring me though whatever comes my way.  Praise God!

Making God First

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33

Doesn't it make you mad when you realize you didn't take something to God first? It brings such peace when I do and it all makes sense when I read it, say it and talk about it, yet I still get caught up in the trap of worrying. I do find that the antidote to a toss and turn night of worrying is to get my Bible out and read, study and collect verses. Before I know it I have an overwhelming sense of peace and rest. I love my Bible app and keep a ton of notes and verses by category. That way whenever I have a struggle, I can turn to my "library" and read and keep looking for more to add. That's probably how the first devotional started, with someone just seeking the Lord.

And pride, this study made me realize that anger is a form of pride. It's self indulgent and certainly not from God. So what do do about pride. Well, I can't do it myself, that's for sure but through God all things are possible and I keep lifting it up to Him. I want to do as the weekly verse says and seek or crave to do right. His promise is that He will take care of us if we make Him first in our lives and that would include our challenges like anger or pride.

"Humble yourselves therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1Peter 5:6,7

#Blessings are so many! My son is home for the summer, I get to see God's gorgeous ocean everyday, my husband is adorable and cooks fabulous dinners every night, my nieces and nephews are such a joy and make me laugh, I have wonderful friends and I love OBS!

New to Blogging

Wow, I am a blogger now!

I love the dragon-fly. It gets overlooked because of the beautiful butterfly and I think that is why I like them. I love the subtle, quiet beauty and that it reminds me of a peace that God promises us if we turn to Him.  It is always the quiet strength that draws me to people and I hope one day God grants me that quiet wisdom as well. In the meantime, I wait and draw close to Him.

My presence will go with you and I will give you rest. Exodus 33:14

God gives us personal encounters with Him and He gives us a mind free from disturbance.  I love that! I took a class at work today where they talk about de-stressing by surrounding yourself at work with items that can remind us of peace, things we love that can calm us down when we need to be strong for other people. There are so many things we can put around us that will visually remind of of God's beauty but the best thing is that His presence is always with us and He is available 24/7 to be our mentor.