Knock, Knock - I know who's there!

There are a lot of way to be 'beat down' by the things and people we have to deal with each and every day - just walking this earth today may make you feel that you are persistently beaten down - worn out by hard or unnecessary abuse.  There are those who have suffered repeated blows to their ego, emotions, or physical well-being. The repeated blows have left behind damage that seems to do nothing more than place on public display the defects of our lives. To each of us with 'damaged lives' let me just give you a word of encouragement - God isn't put-off by our damage!

God's a safe-house for the battered, a sanctuary during bad times. The moment you arrive, you relax; you're never sorry you knocked. (Psalm 9:9-10)

What?  The anointed of God, the one who has been hand-chosen by God, feels beaten down, abused, emotionally spent, like his or her life mattered for little in the scheme of things?  Yep - it happens to the best of us! We each experience emotional disappointment at the hand of friends on occasion. Our life canned be turned into turmoil at times because enemies are being constant in their pursuit.  We all can have problems with our own lusts and pride, bringing shame, immense feelings of guilt and anguish into our lives. News flash...we are all just a little bit like the other person across from us!

In today's society, there are "shelters" that one can run to when they are dealing with extreme mental or physical abuse at the hand of another - we call these "safe-houses".  We also should never forget that God specializes in being our "safe-house" in times of trial. Think of all that the safe-houses of today provide for those that find shelter there and you might just see an image of God:

• Security - it is a place of safety, free from the pressures, anguish, or torment of what one have been dealing with
• Strength - it is a place of recovery, allowing one time and resources to heal from their "battering" and "abuse"
• Substance - it is place of provision, affording one the tools they need to get back on their feet again - strong, empowered, whole, and healed

God is just such a safe-house.  David is so faithful to show us that it is at the very moment we arrive in his care, we are able to relax - to find peace where no peace has dwelt in a long, long time - within us. The effort we have had to exert to "hold up" under the tension and stress of the "battering" we have been under (whether that battering is the doing of another against us, or the result of what we have done to ourselves) suddenly begins to ease.  

As soon as we knock - we find shelter! We don't even need to wait until the door is opened, we begin to experience that we are fully inside the safety of his sanctuary - he begins the work of bringing us into that state of "peace" when we first knock! Yes, we are invited into his safe-house, into the very presence of the holy God of this universe. His door is open to each of us - a place to run to, not just when we are in trouble or in times of extreme hurt or pain, but on a frequent and consistent basis.  There we find our security, our strength, and our substance. You'll never regret knocking.  You'll never be disappointed in taking refuge in God. Battering will come - but the provision for everything we need for our health and well-being is found in his presence. Knock and it will be opened to you! Just sayin!

Get to the shelter!

I am pleading with the Eternal for this one thing, my soul’s desire:  To live with Him all of my days—in the shadow of His temple, to behold His beauty and ponder His ways in the company of His people.  His house is my shelter and secret retreat.  It is there I find peace in the midst of storm and turmoil.  Safety sits with me in the hiding place of God.  He will set me on a rock, high above the fray.  (Psalm 27:4-5 VOICE)

"Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books - especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day." (John Wooden)  Mr. Wooden was a college basketball coach, spending most of his career at the UCLA campus coaching the team into national play-offs and huge wins.  His "drive" was a bit more "internal" than it was "external" though - for his drive came from the relationship he had with his Savior.  As he led the team into award-winning status, his main goal was to impart the pleasure he had in his relationship with Jesus - often commenting to his players that basketball was important, but nothing was more important than a relationship with Jesus.  I think he managed to echo the words David penned about living with God all the days of his life and finding both a shelter and a retreat in the presence of the Almighty.

Every moment of each and every day, there is a place of shelter and retreat for those who have entered into relationship with Jesus.  In examining the meaning of the word "shelter", I found the following:  "Something beneath, behind, or within a person which protects from storms, threats, adverse conditions - a refuge."  Living in Arizona, we don't have storm shelters, although wind speeds can be significant during our monsoon season of late summer.  Those who live in tornado zones create these shelters not far from their homes. They become a place of refuge and shelter during the raging storms all around them. They often emerge from the safety of the sometimes small, but well-built space to find all which they had once counted on or known to be no longer there.  In the storm, they were "kept" in the recesses of the safe place.  After the storm passed, they emerged to most often begin the task of rebuilding.

In God's sheltering arms, the task of protection is up to him.  He is like those secure walls of the storm shelter, but he is also the one who does the work of rebuilding what must be there in our lives.  Sometimes the storms of life seemingly "sweep away" those things which have become the things we counted on the most to give us a sense of safety and security.  In the midst of the storm, we come to recognize the only true safe "place" is under the wings of the Almighty!  His protection knows no end.  His reach cannot be extended too far.  His presence forms walls of protection around, even when the storms rage and howling winds roar.

A shelter is of no value if it is just built.  It would be like having one in my yard, but never having the need or inclination to use it.  Sometimes we might do well to find shelter even when the storms aren't raging!  In Arizona, shelter comes in the form of a covered patio, a large shade tree, and a supply of water.  The storms we face here are different than those of the Midwest, but are devastating when one has not "sheltered" or found "refuge" during the most difficult and testing of extreme conditions which tax our bodies, minds, and spirits. The storm we face here may not come with the raging winds and roaring commotion, but the building heat and unrelenting long days can take a toll for those who have not learned to find refuge from it.

In life, we can take refuge in a great many things, but none quite shelters in the same way as the presence of God.  We cannot hope to "ride out the storm" without the safety of his refuge. When all is in constant turmoil around you, and even when the threat is not fully recognized, the place of profound protection and provision is under the shadow of his wing. As Mr. Wooden said so well, you build a shelter in the relationship you have with Jesus and then you store up for the times of storm - through times in prayer, study of the Word of God, and just "hanging out" with Jesus.  Just sayin!

Shelter me

When it rains, where do we head?  Indoors or under the protection of an overhang, right? Why do we do this?  We won't melt in the rain!  We just want to avoid all the consequences of being "out in the rain" - like wet clothes, spotted eyeglasses, catching a chill, etc.  When the sun is beating down and it is hot, hot, hot - where do we head?  Into the protection of a shade tree, or indoors where it is cool because of air conditioned air!  Why?  We don't want to fry to a crisp in the hot sun, nor do we enjoy the draining feeling the heat produces on our bodies.  We "go to" shelter because we see something in our lives as a "threat" or "nuisance". We want to avoid whatever it is and so we take shelter from it.  I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing to do - for shelter is often the exact opposite of remaining in harm's way!

Live under the protection of God Most High and stay in the shadow of God All-Powerful.  Then you will say to the Lord, “You are my fortress, my place of safety; you are my God, and I trust you.”  The Lord will keep you safe from secret traps and deadly diseases.  He will spread his wings over you and keep you secure.  His faithfulness is like a shield or a city wall.  (Psalm 91:1-4 CEV)

I am going to take a couple of days with this psalm, but I want us to begin with a good understanding of what our psalmist is about to tell us.  Herein we find the key to living a pretty solidly founded and secure life.  The "place" we choose to find shelter is often the determining factor in how well we will survive whatever it attempting to bring harm into our lives!  To this end, we aren't just to occasionally find shelter in God, but are to live under his protection.  When it rains, we come in out of the rain.  When it is too hot outside, we come in to escape the heat.  When life gets challenging, it is not the time to think about running into his arms - we need to already be safely under his protection!

As a child, I'd take walks with mom or dad, and I would see their shadow next to mine.  I was "dwarfed" by the size of their shadow!  I could fit easily "inside" their shadow and almost completely disappear, but I had to get up close to them.  Maybe this is the picture our psalmist wants us to have of what it is like to live in the shadow of God All-Powerful.  We have to get up close and personal with him - so we no longer observe two "shadows" - we become one!  My actions were overshadowed by the actions of my mom or dad when I stood in their shadow - leading me to believe that my actions need to be overshadowed by God's actions on my behalf, as well!

Why do we run to shelter?  Isn't it because we have come to trust something will provide some element of protection for us when we do?  I daresay much of the action we take in life is either because we are running toward something we trust, or running away from something we cannot trust!  What God wants for us is a consistent trust in his sheltering arms.  He wants us to not only find shelter there, but to be confident (trust him) he will provide for our safety (emotionally, physically, spiritually, financially).  

Secret traps and deadly diseases give us insight into how God shelters our lives.  First of all, secret traps are set to ensnare us without giving us any clue they are there.  When someone knows the path we are walking like the back of their hand, they can spot those traps.  Why? It is simply that they are so familiar with the "territory" that they know when something isn't as it should be.  We don't always have this insight into our actions because we are too close to the situation and we haven't been all that observant of the "territory" we are headed into! We need the protection of God to help us avoid secret traps set to trip us up and get us ensnared into stuff / situations which could be our undoing.

Deadly diseases is simply another word picture to give us insight into how God protects those who place their trust in him.  I don't know what it is like to get polio because I received the vaccine against polio as a child.  I didn't get the measles as a child because I was vaccinated against it.  I didn't get malaria when I visited some far reaching countries because I was taking anti-malaria medications as instructed.  Deadly diseases aren't always visible - are they?  They are "airborne" particles unobserved by the human eye.   They are microscopic organisms picked up on our hands and given entry into our bodies as we touch our hand to mouth.  What we don't "see" or "perceive" is what I think our psalmist has in mind here.  We need to find shelter from what we might not even perceive as a threat to us!

Two pictures of safety are presented - the spreading of the wings over the chick and the shielding fortress of a strong-walled city.  Both are excellent word pictures to give us insight into what it is to trust God's protection in our lives.  I have observed some small chicks just crawl right under the spaces of the wings of the mother bird and be totally sheltered out of view within their covering.  What is pictured here is this idea of being "under" and "close to" the one who shelters us from the predators in our lives.  The strong-walled city is a picture of those forces which come against us, seeking admittance into our lives, but which are bound to do us harm if they are given access.  

Both are apt pictures of God's powerful "shelter" when we place our trust in him.  All shelter is based upon trust - some from what we can see and others from what we cannot!  When we place our trust in God himself, our shelter is assured from both!  Just sayin!

Did someone say "Retreat!"

You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me. 

(Psalm 119:114 The Message)

As time passes, I have realized the value of times of retreat.  I used to think of times of retreat as something along the line of a "forced withdrawal".  I really just did not enjoy time away from what I was doing everyday.  Some would have called me a little too "retentive" - - if you know what I mean!  I have come to recognize that "retreat" is sometimes the most strategic thing you can do!

The very act of withdrawing into a place of quiet and safety is often the best "move" we make.  That very "movement" into a place of what appears to be a "lack of movement" is actually bringing us to a place of refuge - - within that refuge, there is privacy for the planning of the next movements we will make.

The opposite of retreat is advancement.  There are very specific times when we need to pull away, step back, and allow God to change our focus long enough to impact our plans for the next steps we take.  David had learned this very important lesson of retreat - - he made God his place of quiet retreat.  

Here are some lessons on "retreat" that I want to share from my own experiences:

- We have a tendency to make others our place of retreat.  When things aren't going as we'd like, we sometimes find ourselves gravitating to the "comfort" of "sounding off" to another individual.  There is nothing wrong with having a trusted friend.  Yet, there are times when the best person to "hear about" our issues is not our trusted friend, but God himself.  We have to guard against using our trusted friends to be what God deserves to be in our lives.

- We have a tendency to make God operate on our time frame.  The fact is, times of retreat may be necessary long before we feel we are "ready" for them.  We often don't realize how "ready" we were for the benefits of "retreat" until we have enjoyed the blessing of that time away from what it is that had us all wound up so tight in the first place!  

- We often don't understand the joy of quiet until we have stepped away from the chaos of the daily battles.  In the midst of the fray, we seldom realize that we have no real sense of "peace".  I am not just referring to the absence of noise - - but the real sense of assurance that comes from knowing that what you are engaged in is exactly as it should be.  In the times of retreat, there is often a "re-ordering" of our steps.  Until we enjoy the quiet place, we won't see the next steps we need to take.

- We have a hard time with the waiting part of retreat.  Just as soldiers "pull back" into periods of retreat, we need to do the same.  In the "retreat", time is given for healing, fortification, and just enjoying each other a little.  To be at our best, there are times when "waiting" is the best "action" we can take!

Not sure where you find yourself today, but if you have been hitting it hard, you may be ready for a little retreat from the chaos of your circumstances.  The fact remains, no one can run at full speed forever - - we all need times of retreat.  It may take some doing, some adjusting of your priorities, but you will find the benefits of retreat far outweigh the constant "plugging away" under the pressures of your day.  

I don't believe "retreat" times need to be extended weekends away from home in some chalet on the mountain top, long vacations away from phones and emails, or periods of sabbaticals from your profession.  I do believe they need to be frequent, dedicated times of rest.  Times when God is able to renew us at the very center of our being.  Wherever, and however that is accomplished in your life - - do it!  You don't realize the benefit of retreat until you have taken the opportunity to experience it!

Running for the Safe-House

 ^9-10 God's a safe-house for the battered,
      a sanctuary during bad times.
   The moment you arrive, you relax;
      you're never sorry you knocked. 

(Psalm 9:9-10)

If you have ever watched a spy movie, or perhaps a story about someone in the witness protection program, you will understand the term "safe-house".  I looked this term up this morning and found a rather interesting definition:  A dwelling or building whose "conventional" appearance makes it a safe or "inconspicuous" place for hiding, taking refuge, or carrying on clandestine activities.  Okay, so let's take that apart a little further to see what God is really saying to us in these verses:

1.  A safe-house has a normal appearance - it does not stand out, with all kinds of signs that it is a place of shelter.  If it had bars on all the windows, motion detectors in the yard, a huge fence surrounding the lot, etc., people would be suspicious about what goes on within the walls.  I think of God as not really putting on all kinds of "show" when it comes to being our safe place.  He simply is there - available to run to, easy to access.

2.  A safe-house is a place for hiding or taking refuge - in other words, it is a shelter.  Sometimes, we just need to "get away" from what life has been dealing us - we need a place to "run to".  That is what God provides - we might call this a place of retreat.

3.  A safe-house is a place for carrying on "clandestine" activities.  Okay, I admit it, I had to look that one up!  The real meaning of this word is hidden or secretive.  I guess that is really not how we think of God - doing things in secret, having some subversive plan he is master-minding.  Yet, what is God's shelter if it is not also a place of secret refreshing?  This word "clandestine" actually comes from two Latin words:  Clam and Internal.  So, God's shelter is kind of like being able to have a hard shell around us while the process of what goes on "inside" is being worked out!

So, David tells us that he runs to God's safe-house in times of feeling battered, or when life just seems to be dealing us the bad stuff.  Something that is battered has been beaten repeatedly - there has been a persistent pounding that has occurred.  This kind of repeated "pounding" leaves damage - the hard use has a lasting effect.  No wonder he runs to God's shelter when times are tough!  He needs God's protective "clam-shell" shelter!  Without it, what is left is nothing but a mess of beaten down character!

The moment we arrive - look at that promise - the very moment we arrive, we relax!  Why is that?  It is simply that God begins to diminish the force of the attack against us.  It is like the "clam-shell" of his protection comes around us and we begin to feel that the "pelting" of life is actually diminished in its ability to reach us.  Tension is released.  

The last thought is something we need to take to heart - we will never be sorry we knocked!  I used to think that people that came to my door were a real pain!  When I had to go door to door once, as part of a Bible School outing, I really began to have a new appreciation for those that actually undertake that task of "knocking" where they know they will face resistance!  This is NOT the case when we knock on God's door, though.  His door opens easily and it is always unlocked to us!  It is not like a clam-shell that needs to be "pried" open!  Our access is easy and when that door shuts around us, the immediate diminishing of the forces we feel around us is evident.

If it has been a while since you have "run for cover" into the safe-house God provides, perhaps it is time you begin to find a little shelter from life again!  God's just waiting - what's your excuse?

Halted by our Guard

^7-8 God guards you from every evil, he guards your very life.
   He guards you when you leave and when you return,
      he guards you now, he guards you always.

(Psalm 121:7-8)

When I was in the military, I had the unfortunate lot of pulling "guard duty" on a few select occasions.  The thing that struck me most was that I was guarding "stuff" that I had no clue that anybody would want!  Sometimes I'd be assigned to the motor pool - now, I ask you, who wants an olive drab sedan?  At others, I'd walk the perimeter of the base, looking for intruders.  Ummm....now, ask me if I EVER saw any?  Nope!  So, what was the purpose?  Simply because you never know when the enemy will attack, or at what location.  So you "prepare" for the worst!

Our passage today is taken from a psalm that celebrates God's watchfulness over his children.  The writer begins with the question, "Where does my help come from?"  David knew that his "help" came from God and no other source.  He points us to God at every turn.  Now, he tells us why he has this confidence in the God he can neither see, nor touch.  It is he who guards our very life, now and always!

To guard means that someone or something is kept safe from harm.  There is a watchfulness over that person or thing that keeps it out of harm's way.  Did you also know that to guard refers to keeping a watchful eye so that the one being guarded does not escape or engage in misconduct?  God does more as the "guard" over our lives than just keep us safe - he also keeps us from escaping his care, running toward those things that will harm us, and reminding us of the pain that our misconduct will eventually end up costing us.  What a faithful "guard" he is!

As my children were born, there were things I did to "guard" them from injury.  One of the simplest things was to purchase those small plastic caps that fit into the electrical outlets.  How did I know to do this?  Well, I learned by experience, of course!  I learned that bobby-pins placed in those small holes in the walls give you a rather significant jolt of "attention-grabbing" current!  So, I "covered" the small holes that could injure my children because I had already experienced the painfulness of "misconduct"!

God places "safeguards" in our lives, much like the outlet covers, in order to prevent loss, injury, or reputation.  Just like my children, we resist those safeguards because we think something "good" must be on the other side of the safeguard!  I watched as my children took small fingers and attempted to manipulate the plastic guards from those outlets.  Each time, I'd remind them that they should not play with the outlets.  Guess what?  To my knowledge, my kids never got the "jolt" of playing around with electricity!

God doesn't want to "keep us from the good stuff" - he is working overtime to keep us safe from the "bad stuff"!  Safeguards don't mean we aren't curious about what is "on the other side" of the safeguard (boundary).  All it means is that we have something that stands between us and that object of our attention.  God leaves the response to the "safeguard" he has placed to us.  Much like my kids pulling with all their might to get that plastic plug out of the outlet, we often find ourselves "pulling with all our might" to remove the safeguards God has placed in our lives.

Did you realize that there are a ton of synonyms for "guard" in the Bible?  Here are just a few:  shield, shelter, watch, defend, bulwark, watchman.  God must really want to get the point across that we need "guarding"!  The next time you see one of these words, look at in context of what God says he is doing for his children as their shield, their defender, a bulwark, or a watchman.  It may open a whole new meaning for you about the value of God's "guarding" of our lives.  

Aren't you glad that you have someone as dedicated to your safety on Guard Duty in your life?  The next time you hear, "Halt, who goes there?", you might do well to actually stop and ask why God is stopping you.  He is actually trying to get you to realize the error of your steps, not to keep you from something good in your life!  The first step to enjoying the safety of our boundaries in understanding where we are crossing them!  

A refuge like no other

^1-2 God, the one and only— I'll wait as long as he says. Everything I need comes from him, so why not? He's solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, an impregnable castle: I'm set for life. 

(Psalm 62:1-2 The Message Bible)

¹ Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. ² Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

(Psalm 62:1-2 The New International Version)

David spends a good deal of time in this Psalm addressing his enemies, those he considers to be is close friends, and even himself.  He is proclaiming his position in God - impregnable, immovable, solid.  When one finds that they are mobile - they are capable of being moved - changeable in mood, appearance, or purpose. When one is immobile - there is a fixed position in mind - incapable of being moved or not moving at all.

David was surrounded by enemies - the battle was ON.  Though surrounded on all sides, he declares that he is fixed on God and will not be moved as a result.  Sometimes the afflictions in our lives become so much like huge weights that serve the purpose of pulling us down.  When we see them through the eyes of Jesus, we realize that they are meant to help us dig deeper into Christ, not to crush us or bury us alive in the mire of the pit.

When affliction comes, we have many responses - one of the most common is fear.  Fear is an open door for Satan to enter.  Fear demonstrates a lack of confidence in our stability - we are admitting that we have the capacity of being moved or shaken.  If we are grounded in Christ, why does fear enter in at all?  Well, it comes because we have some forces at work in our life that want to make us believe that what we believe in, who we believe in, and the very foundation that provides in our lives is faulty.

Satan is constantly working to move us to DO wrong - he wants us saying wrong things, thinking wrong thoughts, demonstrating wrong actions.  He knows that if he can do this, he takes us out of step with God.  He places us on ground that is less secure and our movement forward is impaired.  If he gets us moving ahead of God's timing, or lagging behind when God is asking us to move forward, he gets us in a place where we are no longer on solid ground.

Sin in our own lives affects our solid foundation - tempting us to move in ways that are not honoring to God.  Whenever things like envy, anger, bitterness, revenge, lust or greed become the focus in our lives, we are on shaky ground.  These things pull us down faster than we realize.  We also have temptations that seek to destroy or damage our foothold that are more subtle, not always noticed for the effect they have.  Things like wrong types of friendships, pressure to conform to a peer group's values, or the pressure mounted by the media to conform to the societal values of the time are also placing this undue pressure on us to question our position in Christ.

There are some key points in our passage that we need to latch onto in order to avoid the pitfalls that make us movable, less "fixed" in our position in Christ.  First, our soul MUST find rest in God and no other source.  When there is rest, there is a purposeful cessation of activity - we stop trying to do what God has already done for us in the work of salvation.  Second, we must come to a place where we trust him at ALL times.  Trust is a total, unwavering reliance in his character, ability, and strength in our lives - we become dependent on him, not ourselves.  Third, we must pour out our heart and soul to him.  God desires intimate communion with his children - allowing all that is within (even our fears) to be expressed freely in his presence.  Last, but certainly not least, we must find God as our REFUGE.  He is the shelter we need - the escape and protection from danger we long for.  He should be our resort in times of difficulty, just as he is to be our enjoyment in times of great joy.

Get FIXED on God.  Get FIXED in God.  Then let God get FIXED in you.  You will find great safety, strength, and assurance in that foothold.

Never sorry you knocked!

 ^9-10 God's a safe-house for the battered,
      a sanctuary during bad times.
   The moment you arrive, you relax;
      you're never sorry you knocked. 

(Psalm 9:9-10)

There are many walking this earth today that feel that they are persistently beaten down - worn out by hard or unnecessary abuse.  They have suffered repeated blows to their ego, emotions, or physical well-being.  The repeated blows have made damage that seems to do nothing more than place on display the defects of our lives.  David probably was feeling a little of this with all the things he was dealing with as King of Israel, the anointed of God.  

What?  The anointed of God, the one hand-chosen by God, felt beaten down, abused, emotionally spent, like his life mattered for little in the scheme of things?  Yep!  Nowhere in scripture is it recorded that David was any less of a "human being" than the rest of us!  He experienced emotional disappointment at the hand of friends.  His life was in turmoil at times because enemies were in constant pursuit.  He had problems with his own lusts and pride, bringing shame, immense feelings of guilt and anguish.  He was just like the rest of us!

In today's society, there are "shelters" that one can run to when you are dealing with extreme mental or physical abuse - we call these "safe-houses".  David reminds us that God specializes in being our "safe-house" in times of trial.  Think of all that the safe-houses of today provide for those that find shelter there:

• Security - it is a place of safety, free from the pressures, anguish, or torment of what we have been dealing with
• Strength - it is a place of recovery, allowing us time and resources to heal from our "battering"
• Substance - it is place of provision, affording us the tools we need to get back on our feet again - strong, empowered, and healed

God is just such a safe-house.  David is so faithful to show us that it is at the very moment we arrive in his care, we are able to relax.  The effort we have had to exert to "hold up" under the tension and stress of the "battering" we have been under (whether that battering is the doing of another against us, or the result of what we have done to ourselves) suddenly begins to ease.  

As soon as we knock!  We don't even need to wait until the door is opened, we are fully inside the safety of his sanctuary - he begins the work of bringing us into that state of "peace" when we first knock!  Yes, we are invited into his safe-house, into the very presence of the holy God of this universe.  His door is open to us - a place to run to, not just when we are in trouble, but on a frequent and consistent basis.  There we find our security, our strength, and our substance.

You'll never regret knocking.  You'll never be disappointed in taking refuge in God.  Battering will come - but the provision for everything we need for our health and well-being is found in his presence.  Knock and it will be opened to you!