Hiding Place
We did get the predicted covering of snow last night. We must have at least ten inches. Our neighbor came to our rescue and used his snow blower to clear our driveway and sidewalk. That we good for Debbie since she did have to go on some call, while I hunkered down at home. I am scheduled to be in Denver tomorrow morning is the weather and roads permit.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “You are my hiding place; You protect me from trouble. You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance.” Selah Psalm 32:7 HCSB
The other day I caught just the end of an ad from FEMA, that was encouraging families to have an emergency plan. Key questions are important to answer, such as: if a disaster happens, where do we go, how do we stay in touch, do we have the provisions that are needed, such as food and water?
The well known words of psalm 32 verse seven, remind us that the Lord is a shelter in times of trouble. The verse just before reads, “…let everyone who is faithful pray to You at a time that You may be found. When great floodwaters come, they will not reach him.” (Psa. 32:6 HCSB) In this imagery the Lord is the “hiding place” that protects from harm and brings deliverance from the storm or that which threatens.
We make the Lord a hiding place when we consistently seek Him. We are reminded to, “faithfully pray…when [He] may be found.” We realize the Lord is always with us and He is not hiding or lost. The problem is with us. I recently heard a Bible Teacher state, “the issue is not lost relationship, but strained fellowship.” This Psalm opens with the verse, “How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!” (Psalm 32:1 HCSB) That joy exists when our relationship with the Lord is strong and we are living by His ways.
Trouble is a part of life. The unexpected comes as well as that which in the natural can be predicted (like a tornado or hurricane.) When the apostle Paul shared his list of trials, it included that which comes from natural and spiritual sources. What we can be sure of, is the Lord is not the source of our problems.
When the Lord is our hiding place, we rejoice in the deliverance He brings. Rejoicing is greatest, when the danger is the greatest. When we realize what we have been saved from, it results in joy and celebration as much as relief.
When we stay in fellowship with the Lord and are open to His correction, it is for our protection and good. Verse 8 and 9 give this warning, “I will instruct you and show you the way to go; with My eye on you, I will give counsel.
Do not be like a horse or mule, without understanding…” (Psa. 32:8,9 HCSB)
When the Lord is our hiding place, whether we are spared from harm, or we find ourselves recovering the battering of life in God’s care, we can reflect the final admonition of Psalm 32: “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart.” (Psa. 32:11 HCSB)