Looking for a good place to hide?

I love the way the Message paraphrases the first three verses of Psalm 11 (Ps. 11:1-3):

“I've already run for dear life straight to the arms of God. So why would I run away now when you say, "Run to the mountains; the evil bows are bent, the wicked arrows Aimed to shoot under cover of darkness at every heart open to God. The bottom's dropped out of the country; good people don't have a chance?”"

Have you ever tried to picture running for dear life straight into the arms of God? I know for me it’s hard to imagine what God looks like. I mean after all, no one has actually seen God face to face. The book of Psalms talks about hiding in the shadow of His wings (Ps. 17:8, 36:7, 61:4, 91:4). I guess I can picture being hidden and finding comfort under a strong and mighty wing..like that of an eagle. 

As I began to think about running into his arms I thought about a few other things. My mind quickly went back to the Old Testament chapter of Exodus. In Chapter 33, Moses and God are talking. They had a relationship. Moses trusted God to lead him and provide for him. Moses could have asked God for anything, yet he asked for God to reveal his glory. Moses wanted to see God’s face. God granted Moses his request but still didn’t allow Moses to see his face. He allowed his presence to pass by and Moses was allowed to see his back (Ex. 33:23).

After Moses, I thought about the disciples’ relationship with Jesus. They were hand-picked by Jesus for a reason. Before Jesus left earth to return to heaven, he spent a great deal of time with them (building relationship). During his earthly ministry, Jesus showed us all how to truly love our neighbor and live in obedience to Father God. He crossed political, racial, and social backgrounds to show love and compassion to those in desperate need of relationship; the woman at the well, the adulterous woman, the blind beggar, the leaper, just to name a few.

God created us to be in relationship with him for his pleasure. As difficult as it may be for some to imagine, God wants us to turn to him with everything; even when life seems to get tough. In fact, in all circumstances – good and bad, he wants us to turn to him for guidance and direction. Our circumstances can be an opportunity for us to grow in our faith and trust in Christ if we allow God to draw us closer. Don’t ignore the challenges that come your way just because they may be a little uncomfortable… use them as an opportunity for God’s glory to be revealed and enjoy the warmth of the Father’s loving arms.

You may be asking "How can I be in relationship with God?" Well, it starts by accepting Christ's redeeming work on Calvary. When you accept Christ as your Savior the Holy Spirit will come and live inside you. But it doesn't stop there. As with any relationship, it needs to be nurtured so it can grow. 

How do you nurture a relationship? By spending time with the person you are building the relationship with. To build your relationship with Christ, spend time reading your Bible and talking to him in prayer. I thought prayer had to be formal...but it really doesn't. I talk to God like I'm talking to anyone else throughout the day. When times really get tough I cry out to him. Believe me, He is listening...and will answer. It may not always be the way you want Him to answer...but He ALWAYS knows what's best and will never leave our side.

So, how is your relationship with Christ? Does it need nurturing? Or do you run and hide in His arms when life gets too hard to handle? 

Spend time connecting with Him today. He's waiting for you!

You can't beat God's color palette

Psalm 8:3-8 (NLT) “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority— the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.”

When I stop and actually think about “the works of God’s fingers” I am completely humbled and overwhelmingly amazed. The weather is changing now and I can’t help but stand in awe during this time of year as the trees usher in their magnificent colors. I am unquestionably blown away by the breathtaking beauty of God’s creation. For me, it shows up best in sunrises and sunsets. I love the pictures I can make in my mind when I allow myself to get lost in the vibrancy of the sky’s many colors. So many times, I have pulled over while driving to simply marvel at the awe-inspiring beauty of a morning or evening sky. The immeasurable assortment of color gets me every time.

When I was a child, weekend getaways and family vacations we’re most often to campgrounds and places we could go within a day’s drive. While riding along, I’d gaze through the window up to the sky and make pictures and stories out of the clouds. Have you ever tried to do that?

I have made so many stories out of the clouds. It’s a toss-up to even pick a favorite but perhaps one story I always tried to find myself in the middle of is one that took place as the sun was slowly setting. This cloud formation looked like a little island in the middle of a beautiful body of crystal blue water. As my mind allowed, I wondered what it would be like to be on a boat sailing up to visit the island. As I watched and the sun continued to go down, “the island” and surrounding “water” brought forth the most radiant colors I have ever seen. Still concentrating on the clouds, the lush hues of color and “waves” that look like waterfalls held me captive. WOW! Is God good with his color palette or what?

Come back from “the islands” with me. I know it’s easy to get lost there; well it is for me anyway. I guess what I am trying to say is we look at his creation and think, ”WOW, look what God did!” and then sometimes look at our lives and feel as if we don’t exist to him at all. But we do exist! In fact Psalm 8 says that “God crowned us with glory and honor” and has given us “dominion over the works of our hands and put all things under our feet.” God has declared us valuable!

There is a praise and worship song that I love to sing because it reminds me of my “cloud” pictures and the greatness of God.

I stand in awe of the One who made the mountains; I stand in awe of the one who calmed the sea. And I’m amazed that the Lord of all creation is the One who longs for me, He longs for me.

In addition to the “cloud” pictures, this little chorus reminds me that:

·         God wants to (not because he has to) be in relationship with me.

·         God loves me with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3)

·         He desires to spend time with me and talk to me. (Revelation 3:20)

·         He wants to guide me and provide for me. (Psalm 23)

·         He wants to give me the desires of my heart because he loves giving gifts to his children. (Psalm 37:4, Matthew 7:11)

·         He wants to give me hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

The next time you see something breathtaking in God’s creation, let it remind you that even though He created the expanse of the universe …his heart’s DESIRE is to have a close personal relationship with you. 

Do you see yourself from God's perspective?

Galatians 4:4-7 NKJV “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”

When reading through Galatians 4, I couldn’t help but think back to the day my son was born. You see, it was on that day I was fully able to see myself from God’s perspective. Please hang in there with me as I try and explain. My husband and I had always talked about the desire to raise a family. We wanted children very much. After we had been married for 3 or 4 years we became more intentional about trying to get pregnant. After about a year, we saw that it wasn’t going to be as easy as we originally thought. We consulted our doctors and as a result of a few tests, began to see infertility specialists at a local clinic. We were hopeful the infertility route would help us start the family we so desired. Another few years went by and nothing happened. Still eager for a family we looked into the possibility of adoption through local agencies and the foster-to-adopt programs with the Department of Social Services.

I am sharing a part of my story because on the afternoon of my son’s birth it finally hit me... God desires me and pursues me for the same reason I desired and pursued having a child – because we both wanted the same thing. We both wanted to be in relationship. He wants to be in relationship with me just as much as I wanted to be in relationship with a child.

Once our son was born, it didn’t matter that he was adopted, he was ours and we loved him just as if I had carried him myself for 9 months. He was given our family name; he shares our home; he shares all the benefits of being in our family. In the same way, when we accept Christ as our Savior, we are adopted as God’s children. He desires a relationship with us because he wants to. He loves us that much.  

Do you see yourself from God’s perspective? Do you think God loves you just because he wants to or because you have done something to earn his love or please him? He loves you just because you’re you! Rest in that.

Related Scripture: Isaiah 54:10; Jeremiah 31:3; Ephesians 3:18; 1 John 4:16; Romans 8:35 - 39

Rules or Relationship?

Galatians 3:11

(v11) Now it is clear that no one can be made right with God by the law, because the Scriptures say, "Those who are right with God will live by faith." (NCV)

(v11) But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” (NLT)

As chapter 3 of Galatians begins, Paul is boldly standing up to the Galatians calling them foolish and asking them who had bewitched them. Many of the believers in Galatia had been in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and received the Holy Spirit yet, they were still trying to earn God’s approval by obeying the Jewish laws. “How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?” (v.3–4 NLT)

Ok, Ouch! I think about how many times I’ve felt like I wasn’t good enough for God to love. As a result of this way of thinking, I nearly ran myself into the ground trying to keep doing good works and following the “law” perfectly so that He would “approve” of me. Being the approval junkie that I once was, I struggled with this one when I first came to Christ as an adult. You see, I was never really taught about the relational side of Jesus. I was taught to always obey the “golden rule”. As I began to grow into my teens and college years I drifted away from Christ and by early adulthood I had “lost touch” with Him completely.

It was only when I gave my life to Christ in my mid-thirty’s I understood that God doesn’t expect me to follow the law perfectly to earn his acceptance. God loves me [period]. He wants a relationship with me more than anything. All I had to do was recognize that I was a sinner and confess those sins.

Secondly, I had to believe that Jesus paid the penalty for my sins on the cross so that I could spend eternity with him. My debt has been paid; I am free from the bondage of sin! To help me through this new life, God gave me the Holy Spirit to live inside me and be my teacher and my counselor. He will guide me in all things. He will provide for me, protect me, and correct me. The Holy Spirit living inside me is all I need to live a life of faith. I don’t need to obey laws perfectly for entry into heaven. I just have to “walk by faith” trusting God each step of the way.

Related scripture: Hebrews 11:1, Habakkuk 2:4, 1 Timothy 2:5