the Secret Place

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will take refuge. You will not be afraid of the terror by night nor of the arrow that flies by day" (excerpts from Psalm 91).
This is the definition of peace. Not that things are always perfect...there will be arrows that fly by day. But we can dwell in the "secret place" and the Lord will fight our battles (2 Chronicles 20:17).
Romans 8:38 says that neither death nor life, angels nor principalities, things threatening or things to come, height, depth or any thing else will be able to separate us from God's love. This love is ours because we are in Christ. It is not dependent on anything we do or do not do. We can trust His love to lead and protect us.

Psalm 91:4b says that His truth will be our sheild and buckler. We need to read His Word daily to receive living and active truths that will protect us from the snare of the enemy. I love to worship with singing and playing instruments. Normally that is what I do to draw closer to God. I realized a couple of weeks ago that I had not read the Word very much, so I opened my Bible and it spoke directly to some situations in my life. We need that intimacy with God that comes through the reading of the Word, and while it is true that He fights our battles, we must do our part as well by getting direction and wisdom from Heaven.
Also, when we stay filled with the Spirit, we will see that the "arrow that flies by day" will actually just bounce off us. We are better equipped to handle life's challenges.
The alternative is that the world will be on top of us, instead of us being on top of the world.
There is indeed a "secret place" in God, but we have to get there, and trust Him while we abide under His shadow.

He Has His Way in the Whirlwind

It has been almost one month since my last post. Over the past month I have watched my mother go through a major transition in life. She is working on getting the use of her hands, and having to depend on others. This past month I have seen my family have to pull together on her behalf, putting aside their differences and past hurts. I have also had to re-visit some old scenarios, to realize that I indeed have changed and been delivered from my past.

My life has changed as well. I graduated from my season of rest and healing, which was more powerful than any intense prayer session. It was much needed.
Now, I stay busy working, being with my mom and taking care of household responsibilities.
Nahum 1:3 was on my mind this morning. It says, "The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet." Is it possible for the Lord to actually bring order to our lives out of chaos? I know He does.
Before all these changes, I had more of a sense of control. I was investing time and energy into things that I see now may not have been the Lord's perfect will. I realize now what should be most important in my life, and who cares about me the most. I was trying to do too much before. Really life is quite simple, and it's a day by day thing.

I am a planner. This season has taught me that sometimes it's ok NOT to plan! God has everything under control. Can he bring order from the whirlwind in our lives? Yes. Romans 8:28 says He makes ALL things work together for our good. He is the only one who can do that and we don't have to figure out any of it. All we have to do is trust Him. God is working a deep work in me through Romans 8:28. Each time I meditate on it, it goes deeper into my soul. So today, join me in believing that He has His way in the whirlwind, and He is working everything out for our good!