The Secret Garden Chronicles-Sheltered and Protected

I tried to sit in the Secret Garden today, but the chickadees are still trying to build their nest in the birdhouse, and it became quite apparent that I was hampering their progress by my presence in the garden.

I tried to just sit real still and quietly, but as soon as they saw me there they started chattering back and forth...and looking at me, and then flying around to other limbs, and the birdie with the nesting materials in her mouth just would NOT go in the birdhouse as long as I remained sitting there.

And then a bug dropped on me from the tree above that looked too much like a tick or small spider or something...I didn't let it stay on me long enough to get it's entomological identification...I quickly brushed him off, checked myself for other bugs, gathered up my stuff and decided to move to the front porch.  The porch has been rather sadly neglected since I developed the Secret Garden.  So I thought this would be a good time to enjoy it before the weather gets too hot to sit out there!

So, as I sat there on the porch trying to "relax" and get focused on what the Lord would say to me today...it took me a few minutes to adjust to my new surroundings...and finally I just had to pray...

"Lord, help me to focus my thoughts and attention on YOU and YOU alone!"

I had written down this verse the other day when I saw it referred to in one of my daily devotions:

"And He (God) said, 

'My Presence will go with you,

and I will give you rest.'"

Exodus 33:14

Rest is my "One Word" for this year, and so I know that is why this verse caught my attention.  I love what God is saying actually to Moses here, when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness after escaping Egypt.  I am sure Moses needed to find rest as he was under so much pressure from the people on every side. What a comfort this must have been to Moses, to hear God tell him that His Presence would go with him, and that He would give him rest.  

And then further down, in verses 18-23, Moses had asked the Lord if He would please show him His glory...and God explained to Moses that "no man shall see Me, and live..." (verse 20), but God did something very special for Moses in verses 21-23. 

21.  "And the Lord said, 'Here is a place by Me,

and you shall stand on the rock.

22.  So it shall be, while My glory passes by, 

that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and cover you

with My hand while I pass by.

23.  Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see 

My back, but My face shall not be seen."

I love how God did not put Moses down for asking this special request, but instead He placed Moses in a safe place, actually right beside Him, and He covered Moses with His hand while He passed by so that Moses would not die...and yet he would witness the Lord passing by. God must have loved Moses very much, don't you think?

Also, in another place, Isaiah 51, verse 16, God tells Isaiah

"I have covered you with the shadow of My hand."

Perhaps this is the message God is wanting to get across to me (and maybe you) today...nothing too deep or profound...just to know that He is sheltering me here, in the "cleft of the rock", "under the shadow of His hand"...

Isaiah 51:12-13 further tells me this:

12.  "I, even I, am He who comforts you.

Who are you that you should be afraid 

of a man who will die,

and of the son of a man who will be made like grass?

13.  And you forget the Lord your Maker,

Who stretched out the heavens

and laid the foundations of the earth..."

Yes,, Lord, sometimes I DO give in to fears...not so much the BIG fears of life, but often the little insignificant fears that nag at my mind...stupid stuff  (like bugs falling out of trees?...Well maybe it's okay to be a little afraid of that, isn't it Lord???)

Well, maybe I do worry about some of the big stuff too...like getting older, health concerns for myself and/or my hubby, financial issues, etc....

Psalm 71 reminds me in David's "Prayer for Old Age"

5.  "For You are my hope, O Lord God;

You are my trust from my youth.

6.  By You I have been upheld from birth;

You are He who took me out of my mother's womb.

My praise shall be continually of You."

9.  "Do not cast me off in the time of old age;

Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

17.  "O God, You have taught me from my youth;

and to this day I declare Your wondrous works.

18.  Now also when I am old and grayheaded ,

O God, do not forsake me,

Until I declare Your strength to this generation,

Your power to everyone who is to come."

As most of you know by now, I love to include old hymns with these posts, because often as I am writing the Lord reminds me of a song and I can't stop until I've looked it up and sung it for all to hear...(probably what keeps scaring the birds away...), but today this song blessed my heart as I read about God hiding Moses in the cleft of the rock...and I wanted to share it with you.  

Click on THIS LINK to sing along with The Haven of Rest Quartet as they sing "He Hideth My Soul", an old favorite by Fanny Crosby.

1. A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
   A wonderful Savior to me;
   He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
   Where rivers of pleasure I see.
   • Refrain:
     He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
     That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
     He hideth my life in the depths of His love,
     And covers me there with His hand,
     And covers me there with His hand.
2. A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
   He taketh my burden away,
   He holdeth me up and I shall not be moved,
   He giveth me strength as my day.
3. With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,
   And filled with His fullness divine,
   I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God!
   For such a Redeemer as mine.
4. When clothed with His brightness transported I rise
   To meet Him in clouds of the sky,
   His perfect salvation, His wonderful love,
   I’ll shout with the millions on high.

I'm sorry that video didn't include all of the verses, but you can keep singing now that you know the tune!

I pray that today you will feel the wonderful protection of the Lord over your life, as He shelters you in the cleft of the rock, and covers you there with His hand!  We are so blessed to be His children! Amen?  Praise God!!  Have a beautifully blessed day, my friends.

Who's Holding YOU?

Deuteronomy 33:27:  "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms..."

Safe in His Arms

Psalm 119:117 ~ "Hold me up, and I shall be safe..."

Psalm 119:114 ~ "You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word." 

Mark 10:14-16 ~ "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."  "And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them."


It seems as though the news these days just keeps getting more and more frightening and discouraging...whether it be the state of the world at war, or the state of the economy, the political turmoil in our country, the unemployment rate...wherever we turn, the news is not good.  If we are not strongly grounded in our faith and our personal convictions, we can be tossed to and fro in an angry sea of anxiety, fear and doubt.  We find ourselves surfing the news channels in hopes of finding some good news for a change, and once in a while we may happen upon a good human interest story or some other positive words of encouragement...but not too often.  After a while we begin to wonder why our bodies are feeling so tense and stiff, and why our hearts are pounding and we can't seem to stand in one place for long because we are so filled with dread.  Suddenly we begin to realize that we are allowing the world to hold us hostage to fear and hopelessness, and we have to do something to stem the tide of negative emotions.

God said in the book of Isaiah:51:12-13; 15-16

"I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass? And you forget the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth; You have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he has prepared to destroy.  And where is the fury of the oppressor?"  "But I am the Lord your God, Who divided the sea whose waves roared~The Lord of hosts is His name.  And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, 'You are My people.'"

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills~from whence comes my help?

My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;

The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul. 

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore."

Psalm 121

Amen.

What more can I say?

Perfect Rest.

 Thank you, Jesus.