3 Shadow of your wings

Psalms 91:4  He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

Psalms 17:8     Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,

Psalms 57:1   Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.

Psalms 61:4    Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!

Ruth 2:12    The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”

Matthew 23:37     “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

Genesis 15:1     After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.

Isaiah 43:1     But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

Hebrews 6:17     So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath,  so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

Thank you God for giving us the promises of Your mercy, refuge, hope, strength and shelter.  Forgive us for only running to you when trouble arises.  Guide us on Your path.  Change our heart, mind and soul toward You.  Keep our eyes from straying toward things of this world that would replace time with You and Your purpose.  Strengthen and give us courage to do and say what Your spirit is speaking to us.  Use us to encourage others and confirm your steadfast love. Amen

Those who know Your name

“ And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

“But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.”

“ for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.”

Psalms 57:1  Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.

Psalms 142:1   With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.

Psalms 56:1    Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me;

Psalms 69:13  But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.  Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.  Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me.  Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.

Psalms 119: 76  Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant.  Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.

Psalms 125:1   Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

Psalms 17:7  Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.  Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,

Psalms 36:7    How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Psalms 61:4    Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!

Isaiah 50:10   Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.

Luke 13:34    O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

Zechariah 1:4   Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the LORD.

Nehemiah 9:30  Many years you bore with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

Proverbs 1:24  Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,  because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you,  when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.  Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.  Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,  would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,

You can see the heart of man that calls out to God, has these attributes: relies on God, trusts in God, clings to God, believes in God, obeys God, seeks God, delights in God, and finds comfort, rest, peace, joy and hope in God.  On the other hand we can see the heart of those who choose not to stay close to God and do exactly the opposite. How much do we rely on God?  Do we delight in His word and the direction it gives to our daily lives?  Do we discern what it is saying and rejoice in the promises of God?  Do we acknowledge God’s reproof and conviction in our lives?  Do we choose to hear His voice? Do we seek His leading?  Replace the “We” in all of the questions above with “I”.  Truthful answers will expose where we are lacking in humbly serving, giving, following, honoring, and obeying God. Every commitment starts with a purpose/goal and choice to change and prioritize time for it, frequent reflection and focus.  Commit to Him and His word.  Commit to humbly serving, honoring, following, obeying Him with all you heart, soul, and mind.

Perfect Peace

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you”

“and you were not willing!”

 

Psalms 9:9
The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Psalms 18:2
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield,

Hebrews 6:18
we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

Nahum 1:7
The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

Luke 13:34
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

Proverbs 18:10
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

Psalms 91:1-2
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Isaiah 26:3-4
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

Have you ever needed peace about something?  What if someone told you that you could have “Perfect Peace”?  We search after it.  We want it and yet at the same time we don’t seem willing to run toward it.  We go after what seems right in our own eyes never approaching the One who can give us what we are desperately seeking.  Paul said we can have “Peace that passes all understanding in Christ Jesus” by faith, trusting and seeking Him in our time of need”.  The peace we seek apart from God is never lasting.  It is a peace that is short lived and lacks any enduring substance.  The next time you are seeking peace – seek and run to Him who is able to give and keep you in “Perfect Peace”