WATCHWORD:
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. 3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. 4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Psalm 91:1-4
Meditation:
Safety
Feeling safe is the doorway to happiness. How can one be happy if you are experiencing anxiety, fear? We long for safe places. Remember yesterday when you were in peaceful safety and did not worry about an unseen evil? Maybe a virus? Remember? Well, that peace that you felt, that safety you told yourself you rested upon? Those all came from our Lord and Savior and He is right there, all around you, pouring His graces all over you, protecting you, providing a safe, peaceful place.
Safety does not depend on our imagined absence of danger or threat of any kind. Safety is found in God’s presence, in the center of His perfect will. Psalm 91 tells us that He will guard us at all times, day and night. We can rest in His arms and know that while we sleep, and breath, and work our way through each day, He is watching over us.
Years ago, I was hiking in the Collegiate Range of the Colorado Rockies. It was an idyllic day, just warm enough, the bluest sky I had ever seen. I had a sense of peace as I hiked up a trail that led to a pastureland, hoping to see moose or deer. A perfect day. But then, there in the trail, someone had lost a hunting knife. Just a little 8-inch blade with a beautiful handle, very sharp. I picked it up and hiked on, admiring it. But, now my mind was doing other things. Images born of silly comments made by my nephew when he gave me the key to his cabin, came to mind about encountering a crazed bear, or a pack of wolves on my hike, except now, not so silly. Another thought; why did fate place this knife in my hand? I managed to play that out and the perfect day was lost to my own fears.
I got to that pasture, but not that day! I turned around and with fearful heart headed back to the cabin. I encountered no bear, no threat of any kind. The sky was still blue, the mountain air was still refreshing and yet my sense of peace was shaken, all because of mind games. We sabotage our sense of peace, imagining dire consequences.
We read and take solace in the fact that God is our safe place, he is our protector, he watches over us. We trust Him. Yet, our peace is fragile and the voice of the evil one is often persuasive, messing with our God-given peace of mind.
Read again the passage, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty”. Get that? Those who live in the shelter (within the Word). How about “Those who trust in the Lord shall renew…” You know the answer to the question “What must I do to earn eternal life?” It is the same answer: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, and ignore the contrarians. There are no bears. Those wolves? They’re just little Shuh Tzus.
Closing Prayer:
O Blessed Jesus,
give me stillness of soul in You.
Let Your mighty calmness reign in me.
Rule me, O King of Gentleness,
King of Peace. Amen.
Dear Heavenly Father,
we know that you love each one of us as
If there was only one of us.
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand. Amen.
