Jesus – Page 26 – Me From the Inside Out

Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

Run to God and His Word

Posted on July 18, 2024July 18, 2024 by

WHERE DO YOU RUN WHEN LIFE GETS HARD? / borrowed and shared from the LGG study of Ps 119

by WhitneyD | originally posted Aug 7, 2015 |

I lay in bed next to my tender boy… the one who wears his heart on his sleeve. He feels it is unfair, but I whisper in his ear that his biggest struggle also has the potential to be his best gift.

Help him to see it for himself one day soon, Jesus.

His high emotions serve him so very well when all is well. But when life gets hard? Well, he’s still learning how to navigate those rough waters. For now, he just wishes that he didn’t feel so much. Care that much.

He wants to see himself as God sees him, but it’s not always that easy – even with the best of intentions and in all of the trying. I get it buddy… I really do. Fair and right and easy living aren’t generally things this world hands out in abundance, and I haven’t seen a silver platter circulating the masses recently.

Ever feel like it would just be easier to run away from it all?

It starts out sounding like the best option – sometimes the only option. Only when we run, the hard still lingers within us. On this earth, no one escapes hard buddy.

But hard has the most amazing potential when Jesus enters the picture…

___________________________

“Everyone is running somewhere,” I tell him. “But what you believe about God will determine where you run.”

May my cry come before YOU, oh Lord…

give me understanding according to Your Word.

May my supplication come before YOU;

deliver me according to Your promise.

~ Psalm 119: 169-170

Doubt, fear, and shame tell us to run and hide. They tell us it would be way easier to stay in bed, to ignore that phone call, to throw our very own patented version of a temper tantrum and just plain refuse to show up.

But hard can also drive us to the cross.

Maybe hard has way more than just potential. Because of Jesus, what if hard suddenly became our greatest gift?

Hard strips away built-up pride and can lead us to a place of humility.

Hard crushes illusions of self-sufficiency and can push us to seek for a solution beyond ourselves.

Hard uncovers calloused hurts and shameful pasts and can awaken us to our need for forgiveness.

Hard exposes our deepest sins and can bring us to our knees in repentance.

Hard turns our eyes away from worthless things and can drive us straight to His Word…

… if we’ll let it.

The best time for new beginnings is now. You don’t have to run away any longer. Not because you’re suddenly stronger, but because you can run to the One who is.

Will the hard still come even after you lay it all down?

You betcha. But this time, you can turn the other direction and instead of running scared you can run in great confidence.

You can put on your brave face and embrace those waves, holding your head up high as you ride them straight into the arms of your Savior.

“I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.” ~ Spurgeon

God, your Word is a priceless treasure. Help us to run to it, for it’s there that we find YOU.

At His feet,

Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

It Only Takes a Spark

Posted on July 11, 2024July 11, 2024 by

Psalm 119:145-160; Week 7 response/recap

My Response

What a great week it’s been in this week’s journey through Psalm 119! Hope…power…prayer…, and loyal love – these are all found and experienced and heightened in and through God’s Word! His true, righteous, and reliable Word is our strength in weakness, our light in darkness, our wisdom in life… our peace and comfort for fears and sorrows…and our salvation and victory over sin and death. There is no greater gift, and we must never waste it! 🦋

The following post is borrowed and shared from the lovegodgreatly.com site. I pray you will read the beautiful post and find a wealth of wisdom and encouragement from every word. Grow from it and share it as you are led – remember: it only takes a spark to get a fire going! –

passing it down to the next generation.

The precious Word of God, read and treasured…worth more than any gem or stone.

Bible study

The Power of God’s Word

Posted on July 9, 2024July 9, 2024 by

Scripture: Psalm 119:153-156 / W7D3 of LGG’s Study of Psalm 119

See my pain and rescue me.
For I do not forget your law.
¹⁵⁴Fight for me and defend me.
Revive me with your word.
¹⁵⁵The wicked have no chance for deliverance,
for they do not seek your statutes.
¹⁵⁶Your compassion is great, O Lord.
Revive me, as you typically do.

Psalm 119:153-156 NET

Have you ever been so desperate that you’ve prayed in this manner before? Pain, fear, danger, and/or trouble meet you around every corner, and you find yourself so weary and worn from it all that your very life seems to have been drained out of you – to the point that you need to be revived. I don’t know what kind of danger or trouble the psalmist faced from the wicked that he has mentioned, but regardless of the reason, he cries out for the Lord to see him…rescue him…fight for and defend him… and then my favorite request – the crescendo of them all: “revive me with your word.” The psalmist saw God as powerful and able to come to his aid, which isn’t surprising, but how awe-inspiring that he attributes life-giving power not just to God but to His Word as well. I can’t help but think of the words of Solomon to his sons, teaching them the wisdom he had received from God – words of wisdom that he said were life to those who find them and healing to their entire body.

My child, pay attention to my words;
listen attentively to my sayings.
²¹Do not let them depart from your sight,
guard them within your heart;
²²for they are life to those who find them
and healing to one’s entire body.
²³Guard your heart with all vigilance,
for from it are the sources of life.
Proverbs 4:20-23

May we faithfully pay attention to the wisdom of God that we find in His Word. May we not let them out of our sight and diligently keep them in our hearts. May we never forget the power of His Word and not hesitate to ask Him to revive us with it – trusting that His words bring life to those who find them and healing to one’s entire body. Oh, may we all learn to pray in this manner when we face troubles of any kind. May we pray like this when we are tired and weary and worn down from seasons of strife or battles of physical or emotional health. May we pray like this for others who are struggling and/or at the end of their rope. May we remember that God cares about us and pray with boldness for Him to see us and rescue us, fight for us, and defend us. – May we pray it all in the name of Jesus – who is the Living Word of God, fully God and yet fully man, who came to reveal God to man and redeem all who believe in Him from their sin.¹

The More You Know

See how to make today’s passage into a beautiful prayer for a friend or yourself

Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

Prayer and the Word

Posted on July 8, 2024July 7, 2024 by

Scripture: Psalm 119:149-152

Listen to me because of your loyal love.
O Lord, revive me, as you typically do.
¹⁵⁰Those who are eager to do wrong draw near;
they are far from your law.
¹⁵¹You are near, O Lord,
and all your commands are reliable.
¹⁵²I learned long ago that
you ordained your rules to last.
Psalm 119:149-152 NET

While I am not easily intimidated – when I am – whether it be due to those who are eager to do wrong or simply those who have a surly personality, I have learned to trust that when God is near (and He always is) not even the toughest or most fear-inducing person or situation can overpower the peace and joy of His presence. If, for some reason, I cannot sense His presence, I have learned to trust His heart, which He has revealed to us in His Word.

I love the opening words of this passage, “Listen to me because of your loyal love. O Lord.” We should imitate this posture of humility in all of our prayers— coming not as one who depends on his own goodness or worthiness but on the faithful love of the Lord. However, I believe the keywords in this passage are found in verse 151, where the Psalmist declares the Lord’s nearness and reliability. When we know these truths and stand upon them as the promises of God, we will not be shaken in the face of danger. This isn’t to infer that we will never be afraid, but that when we are afraid, we will trust in the one who has said/promised: “Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

One commentator said it like this: “Though the wicked are near to injure, because far from God’s law, He is near to help, and faithful to His word, which abides forever.” –
Biblehub.com

Encouragement for the journey

Humble yourselves before God and pray. One of the ways we humble ourselves before God is to cast on Him all of our cares/anxieties – not just the ones we think might be important enough but all of them because He cares for us.¹ Prayer is one of, if not the greatest, privileges and assets of the Christian’s life. We have been given direct and bold access² to God and every assurance that we can trust Him to not only hear but answer.³

Like the Psalmist, tell God your concern(s),

Those who are eager to do wrong draw near;
they are far from your law.
Psalm 119:150

and then remind yourself who He is and what He has said or promised.

You are near, O Lord,
and all your commands are reliable.
Psalm 119:151

If you aren’t sure how to pray or prayer itself intimidates you, remember that God has given us His Word, which is filled with untold examples of praying. To pray God’s Word back to Him is both freeing and refreshing, and I believe brings God great delight. ⁴

Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

Finding Hope In God’s Word

Posted on July 7, 2024July 6, 2024 by

Scripture: Psalm 119:145-148

I am becoming more and more forgetful, but I have not forgotten how and when I met God – or the years that followed. I remember the ebb and flow of growing in Him throughout my childhood and into my teens and throughout my adult life. I have not forgotten the waxing and the waning of my faithfulness to Him nor the pits of muck and mire that He pulled me from along the way! I remember the sin and the shame but those memories are always followed by the beautiful revelation of God’s grace that is greater than all of my sin. I remember not just His grace but His great love, a love that brings me hope, for it is because of His great love that I wasn’t and am not consumed. It is because of this great love and hope that I learned to call out to Him in prayer, not just in the morning but throughout the day and into the night.

I remember my affliction and my wandering,
    the bitterness and the gall.
²⁰I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast within me.
²¹Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore, I have hope:
Lamentations 3:19-21

I cannot recall these memories without also recalling the prophet Jeremiah and the words of his sorrowful lament in Lamentations chapter three – when he remembered his affliction in the days following the destruction of Jerusalem. However, like Jeremiah, I find hope when I also recall the Lord’s great love. Jeremiah described this as God’s compassions that never fail – and I can testify to this truth. For it is because of His great love that I wasn’t consumed. Instead, I was pursued and delivered by His grace from the entrapments of the world into a relationship with Him – and a desire to keep His rules. I no longer found hope in my works or doing/being good but in talking to God and reading His Word. I fell in love with Him through His Word. I also had a baby in these early days of renewal, so like the Psalmist in our journey today – I looked to God in the early morning and looked forward to the naps and nighttime hours when I knew I could pray and meditate on His Word.

²²Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
²³They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
²⁴I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24

Oh, the beauty of these memories and of His faithful mercies, which are still new every morning! As my memory fades, this one prayer increases: May I always remember His Word and never forget that God, in His great love, pursued me, delivered me, and changed the desire of my heart.

²⁵The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
²⁶it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
Lamentations 3:25-26

Encouragement for the Journey

Let’s never allow God and His Word or time in prayer to be just a “To Do” on the agenda of our day. Instead, let’s purposefully set aside or find time to spend with Him in His Word and in prayer. Let’s seek to know Him – His desires…the things He loves and delights in, and the things He detests… Let’s learn His rules… observe His character…put Him first in our lives – loving His ways over the ways of the world. Let’s look for His fingerprints every day, listening for His ‘still small voice,’ and learning to trust Him with every need and thank Him for all He has done.

The More We Know

You won’t want to miss this beautiful devotion from the Love God Greatly Team

Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Psalm 119

HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS IS FOREVER…

Posted on July 5, 2024July 5, 2024 by

Today’s post borrowed from the LGG Post by missionary Joy Forney | Jul 23, 2015 | LGG Psalm 119 Study/w6d5

A recap/response to this week’s journey through Psalm 119:121-144

I spent a few days earlier this week having a little pity party for myself. Yes, I know what you are thinking. I’m not under ten years old, and this is not appropriate behavior for a grown woman, let alone a missionary. But there it is.

The story is this: I was invited to a fun gathering of women that met last week in the States, but as I live in Uganda, I couldn’t make it. Seeing the photos of everyone attending and wishing I could be there… well, a little pity party started. Then I started thinking about my sister having her baby in the next few weeks. It’s her fourth, and I’ve not been there for even one of the births. Sigh. Don’t forget, of course, we’ll be missing out on yet another Thanksgiving and Christmas with family this year (yes, I’m aware it’s only July, but pity parties aren’t limited by the calendar).

And because misery loves company, I wrote a little snippet on Facebook about how I was sad about all of this, thereby extending said pity party not only in my head and heart, but around the world.

And one comment on that post really brought me back to reality. Randy Alcorn, author of the book Heaven, wrote this on my sorry little post:

“You sound like Paul: “Remembering your tears, I long to see you that I may be full of joy” (2 Tim 1:4). You are in good company missing loved ones! The great reunion awaits, all together with the Lord:

“Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” 1 Thes 4:17-18.

Thanks for joining Paul in bringing the gospel to the nations on our behalf. Some reward comes now, much will come later. Meanwhile He feels your pain.”

Ah yes, sweet perspective.

It brought me back to truth that my heart needed to hear and reminded me of two things:

1. Our memory verse for this week:

This. His righteousness is FOREVER. Forever. The part I was sorely missing in my self-imposed sadness. His righteousness really is forever, and we will be with Him forever. What a promise!

And His law is TRUE. His words are the words of a gentleman, and they are true. I can cling to His word, his promises, and his faithfulness when I am feeling down, lonely, and sad.

2. He has given us each other to remind us of this.

Clearly, I needed Randy and others to bring me back to the truth, and that is why I love this community here at Love God Greatly so much. We are here to encourage one another in our walks with the Lord. We are here to spur one another on, and to remind each other of His righteousness and His Word.

So, thank you.

Thank you for being my community; for walking this road with me. Let’s commit to pick each other up when we stumble and fall, and point each other back to Forever and Truth.

Let’s continue to encourage each other in the comments. Share your struggles and find someone else to remind of both forever and truth!!

With Love From Uganda,

Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

FLEEING FAST FOOD SPIRITUALITY…

Posted on July 2, 2024June 30, 2024 by

Scripture: Psalm 119:133-136

Today’s post is borrowed and shared from LoveGodGreatly.com’s study of Psalm 119

by WhitneyD | Jul 22, 2015 | Week6/Day3

Wanna know a terrible secret of mine?

I like french fries. What’s worse? The more salt on them, the better.

When I was pregnant with my first baby, they were my quick go-to snack when I could no longer ignore those impatient hunger cravings that came on without notice. I know, I know… super unhealthy choice. But fast food is convenient, man. Preparing healthier options took time, preparation, and intentionality, and it was honestly just easier to indulge in a moment of weakness than to plan ahead.

I got away with it for awhile. At least it seemed that way. But over the course of my pregnancy, all of those moments of weakness eventually went straight to my hips. Of course, they did. Postpartum, I found myself uncomfortably weighed down by my unhealthy choices – both literally and figuratively.

I was miserable, and something had to change.

As I began to pay attention to my eating habits, I noticed that it wasn’t one huge bad decision that put me over the edge each day. Rather, it was a combination of small compromises that added up over time. A bite here. A lick there. A desensitization to the long term effects that the sum of my choices would produce over time, because I could justify my desire just this once.

In my desperation I started implementing small changes. Trust me, my body wouldn’t be transformed overnight. But as I made physical exercise and healthy eating greater priorities in my life, day by day and bite by healthy bite, I noticed that I craved those french fries less and less over time.

As I fed my body the good stuff, it got easier to leave the bad habits behind.

Taking the undisciplined, compromised road physically has its consequences. Sort of like our spiritual lives.

Sin is all around us, screaming for us to indulge.

It creeps up on us in our weakest moments.

Over time, it weighs us down and makes us all kinds of uncomfortable.

Sometimes it’s one big flop, but often it’s the seemingly small stuff that we justify because we think we can pull it off with minimal damage.

It desensitizes our convictions and tempts us to give in just this once.

It convinces us that it’s more fun to indulge in the moment than it is to invest wisely in the future.

And unfortunately for most of us, sin usually isn’t defeated overnight.

But as we make God’s Word a priority in our lives, our hearts are redirected. By God’s transforming power we crave His law more and more, and by His grace we begin to crave the things of this world less and less.

“Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.” ~ Psalm 119:133

Reading God’s Word won’t always be convenient. It takes time, preparation, and intentionality, and is a task that will require planning and commitment every day for the rest of our lives.

But the results are oh, so satisfying.

Are you tired of settling for fast food spirituality?

Let’s fight against sin by feasting on the good stuff… together.

*Let’s Talk: What do YOU need to flee from in order to pursue more intimacy with God through His Word?

Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

Your View of God’s Rules…

Posted on July 1, 2024July 1, 2024 by

Scripture: Psalm 119:129-132

How do you view God’s rules (laws, commands, instructions)? –This was the question that came to mind as I read the words of the Psalmist in verse 125: “Your laws are wonderful. No wonder I obey them!” Keep in mind what we learned earlier in our study concerning the variation of Moses’ “use of the word laws (commands, commandments, decrees, and statutes…), how they refer to the overall principle of obedience to all that the Lord commands, whether it is a general command, a prescribed law, a legal verdict, or a religious festival or ritual.”¹

Having established this, let me ask you the question that I asked myself, ‘How do you view God’s rules?’ Do you consider them burdensome or wonderful? Do you believe they need to be faithfully followed or do you find yourself thinking, or at least wondering if, they are archaic and no longer of importance? Or do you possibly see them as burdensome, too hard to understand or to obey/follow?

This Psalm (and the Holy Spirit) have reminded me that how we view the rules and regulations of God matters greatly. When we see them as wonderful rather than burdensome or discount them as archaic – we will, like the Psalmist, count them worthy of obedience. We will use them as light for our paths and seek them as necessary insight for our understanding not only of the Word but of God Himself. When this is our view, we will long both for God and His commands – and we will be found as faithful followers of the One whose mercies are new every morning.

Friend, if God’s commands seem burdensome or archaic and dismissable, ask Him to change your view. Ask Him to help you see them as beautiful, helpful, good, and needful instructions. Ask Him to help you long for them, to pant for them as the deer pants for the water, and to follow them faithfully. When this happens, Your relationship with God will deepen, and You will see the faithful goodness and mercies of Your God – and your view of His commands will change from dread to delight. I know this – because this is the story of my life!

Me-from the inside-out🦋

Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

I AM THE PSALMIST…

Posted on June 30, 2024June 29, 2024 by

Scripture: Psalm 119:121-128

Guest post today: by Angela Perritt | Jul 20, 2015 | Week 6/Day 1 of the LGG Psalm 119 Study

I am the Psalmist.

I, too, have a history of crying out to God, reminding Him of all that I do for Him, and asking Him the “whens” and the “whys”…

When Lord? When will you avenge?

Why Lord? Why have you allowed this?

And I, too, have a history of telling Him when He needs to act…

“It is time for you to act, O Lord…” ~ Psalm 119:126

Because of my limited sight and understanding, I struggle to comprehend the ways of our Lord at times.

I don’t have His perspective.

I don’t have His knowledge.

I am not God.

And so I become the Psalmist and cry out to Him with questions that are beyond my understanding… and I realize I am just a child.

Age is funny, you know. The older I get the more I realize how much there is to learn in life, and how very patient God is with my growth.

God is good and patient (Psalm 136:1 & 2 Peter 3:9).

I like that God is good. But patient? That can be a little harder when I’m waiting on Jesus to act.

The Jews in Jesus’ day wanted a Savior who would concur and overthrow the Roman oppressors. They wanted action. They wanted revenge. They wanted all those who had hurt them to finally have their day.

And in many ways, I am no different. And neither is our buddy the Psalmist.

He has highs and lows as he pursues knowing God better and gaining greater wisdom… just like me.

I’m taking comfort that here is a man who is completely sold out to God – a man who treasures God’s Word more than gold or gems – and yet I see this man struggle with waiting on the Lord to move. I hear him remind God of the righteous life he has led, just in case God may have missed it. I see him plead with God as he continues to be oppressed.

And in a strange way, it encourages me. It strengthens me.

Maybe it’s the progression of moving from “baby food” to “solids” in terms of spiritual growth, but it comforts me to know that other people who are 100% sold out for God – those who desperately want to live their lives for Him – struggle in their understanding of why He chooses to act sometimes, and at other times remains patient and does not step in and fix the situation like we want Him to.

But I’m starting to notice that in the waiting…there is precious growth.

In the waiting there is purpose.

“Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees. I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.”

The Psalmist does cry out to the Lord, but he also accompanies it with a sincere desire to know God and learn His ways:

“… teach me your decrees.”~ Psalm 119:124

“… give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.”~ Psalm 119:125

His heart is humble and teachable. He wants God’s ways over his own.

And maybe that’s the purpose of the waiting: the precious growth it produces.

“God’s delays are not God’s denials.”- Warren W. Wiersbe

So, like the Psalmist, I cry out to God and say:

“It is time for you to act, O Lord; your law is being broken.” ~ Psalm 119:126

But in these days of waiting, I’m learning to dig a little bit deeper into God’s Word and pray a little more earnestly. And that’s always a good thing.

“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done…” ~ Matthew 6:10

“The day will come when the truth will be revealed and sin will be judged; meanwhile, instead of complaining about what we have paid or lost, let us rejoice in the wealth that we have in God’s Word; wealth that can never be taken from us.”- Warren W. Wiersbe

Let’s Talk:

Don’t doubt for a second that God doesn’t see what’s going on in our world. But in the waiting, how can we be more proactive in growing in our faith and reaching out to a hurting world… being the hands and feet of Jesus?

Love God Greatly!

– I’d love for you to leave your thoughts on this question in the comment section 🦋

Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Psalm 119, Quiet Time

Christ, Our Hiding Place…

Posted on June 27, 2024June 27, 2024 by

by Jen Thorn | Response to Love God Greatly’s study on Psalm 119 -week 5

I have always had a fascination with castles. It is a wonder that men could build such beautiful and strong structures without our modern technological advances. Something that has always fascinated me are the secret rooms and passages common in castles. Such hidden spaces in the walls, in the roof, or behind works of art were for protection and escape when under siege. During the reign of Elizabeth I of England (1558-1603) more of these secret rooms were built in order to hide and protect priests from persecution. This is how they came to be called “priest holes.”

Over the centuries people have used secret hiding places in order to protect themselves from danger. During the Second World War in Germany, many Jews were hidden in private citizens’ homes. Al Capon (a notorious Chicago mobster) had a secret hideaway bar in the suburbs of Chicago. We even hide in our basements when there is a threat of tornadoes.

We all need safe places; that is why we live in houses. We need protection from the weather, from animals, and from people who want to steal our things or hurt our families.

But there is something even more precious than wealth and health that needs protection – our hearts and our souls.

During our lifetime we experience constant ups and downs, happy days and hard days, good news and devastating news, temptations and cruelty, evil and doubt, just like the Psalmist. All of this often puts us in the most dangerous of situations.

But have you noticed what he does in Psalm 119? No matter what comes his way, he always runs to God. Even more specifically, he runs to God’s word. This is his safe place from the tumultuous life he lives, and it must be ours as well.

5 Reasons Christ Must Be our Hiding Place

1. His Strength is Unmatched

“Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this:

that power belongs to God.” ~ Ps. 62:11

Our attackers are not just worldly, but also spiritual. We need to find safety in something that can protect us from the arrows of men and devils, from folly and error, sin and eternal death. The Lord is a shield who surrounds us on all sides (Ps. 3:3) and his strength ensures that the enemy can never defeat us because there is no weak spot in this shield.

2. His Secret Places are For Us

“The mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations,
but has now been manifested to His saints … which is Christ in you,
the hope of glory.” ~ Col 1:25,26

Ralph Robinson once explained the more secret a place the more safe we are. In Christ are all the mysteries and secrets of this world and the next. The secrets of who God is, who we are, and salvation itself are disclosed to us that we might enter the secret places for safety. The only way to keep our heart and soul safe is by knowing and treasuring these mysteries as they come to us in God’s word and are received by faith.

3. His Faithfulness Endures Forever

“For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.” ~ Ps. 100:5

In order to feel safe you have to be able to trust the one who is protecting or hiding you. Who is more trustworthy than Christ! He always does what he says. He is true to his every word at all times and because he is perfectly good he will always do what is right.

4. His Watchfulness Guards Us

“He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” ~ Ps. 121:3,4

Castles and fortresses come with guards, but human guards are not always reliable. They grow tired and fall asleep. They may miss an approaching enemy and make the castle susceptible to defeat. But we have a guard who doesn’t doze off and is therefore never caught off guard. Enemies can’t sneak up on him and nothing can take him by surprise. Meditating on this will be a huge source of comfort for us during anything we go through.

5. His Love Ensures Our Safety

The one who would watch over us the best is the one who loves us the most. Who loves us better than Jesus? He went to unimaginable lengths to keep us safe and he will continue to do all that is necessary to ensure that none will be snatched out of his hand (Jn. 10:28) and that we arrive safe and sound in his eternal Kingdom.

We have been given everything we need for life and godliness because we have been given Christ himself. He is our shield, our fortress, and our hiding place. Like the Psalmist, let’s run to our God all the time for everything we need.