Good morning, Lord! Thank you for your Word that is flooding my mind this morning. Sometimes I wake up with a word or a song playing in my head. I often wish I could fall back to sleep, but not today. I bounced out of bed, energized and encouraged by what I heard:
The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. (Psalm 121:5-7)
He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. (Psalm 91:4)
God is our refuge and strength, a help always near in times of great trouble. (Psalm 46:1)
I love your Word, Lord! You reveal that you are living and active and present in our every situation. Promises abound on every page I turn to! Thank you for the promise of your shade and protection and for watching over our lives. Thank you for your shelter over us and for being a shield ahead of us. Thank you for being a place to run when we need hope and strength. From my personal experience, Lord, I know you are always there with comforting arms that draw me into you, with a sweet release of calm that settles my anxious heart.
We have some pretty hefty summer monsoon storms here in Arizona. They can be frightening! I remember when the kids were very young they would wake up to a great CRACK of thunder that would send them running to our bedroom. In a flash, they were up on the bed and under the covers, buried in our arms! Their first instinct: RUN FOR SHELTER! Their first thought: DADDY, HELP! There they knew they would be safe, even though the rain still poured down and thunder still cracked around us. In the shelter of our covers, surrounded by our love and protection, they felt safe and secure. Oh, how I wish I could respond so quickly to my Father in heaven when I’m afraid or in trouble! Admittedly, my first thought is usually is HOW CAN I FIX THIS? rather than ABBA! FATHER!
Lord, teach me to respond like a child who just instinctively runs into your arms, without pause or a stop to think about what to do. Help me to just RUN TO YOU – as my kids ran to us for protection from the storm. It seems so simple, Lord. I pray for that kind of uninhibited faith! I pray this kind of faith for all of us! These promises are for each one of us. When we run to the Father, His arms are wide open, abounding in His love and protection! No questions asked. No history too dark. No sin too grave. His grace covers all and everything we have ever thought, done, or said. His grace is sufficient.
Try it today. Whatever is heavy on your heart, take it to the Father. He’s right here like He has promised. Just run to Him as a child, jump under the cover of His shelter and into His arms, crying out, “DADDY, HELP!”