Probably the simplest title in a while :), but the essence of where much of life and ministry is for many of us. I simply wanted to share encouragement. Life for many of us is full of complexity, business, evil prospering, massive brokenness in our world (war, persecution, poverty of many kinds, our bodies, cancer and untreatable illness, getting old). Followers of Jesus who are not yet what they should be and churches in numerous places are acutely in need of lots of help, encouragement and wisdom , this side of heaven. It is a view of colossal need wherever you travel in the world for anyone who has a prayerful passion for His kingdom bride. It is especially a burden for those who are called to spiritual oversight of network mission, teaching and training disciples for interconnected churches in His kingdom mission to the unreached. Yet we need to remember that there is a perspective on top of the storm, a view from a higher vantage point.
During our hardest times, our sense of need and dependence on God is greatest. Some of you will know the true story of Dwight Moody being stuck in the ocean (1892). After a great year long trip to the UK, he sailed from Southampton only to be stuck at sea three days later with a broken drive shaft, the ship taking on water. For two days with the very real prospect and anxiety of sinking, he asked to gather folks together for a time with God and spoke on Psalm 91, holding on to a pillar to steady his feet. " He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the almighty"
He later talked of how struggling that night was his darkest hour, with relief coming in prayer as He cried out to God, enabling him "in the depths of his soul". As he prayed "Your will be done" he almost immediately fell asleep, waking another day to find the ship being towed by one which had come to help.
Psalm 91 reminds us of two things we need to keep in perspective for all the ups, downs and disasters of life.
1) He has wings which shelter us - see them. (91:1,4).
In the holy of holies (the secret and sacred place of the cherubim over the ark of the covenant) wings covered the mercy seat. All OT tabernacle imagery was symbolic of a greater reality, a picture to help us, as creatures with all our limitations/frailties, see the reality and magnitude of our God in all His majesty, power, and provision of help.
A temporary picture.
Whilst the Priest entered into this place once a year in exceptional act, you and I are reminded that our great High Priest THE LORD JESUS opened up a new and living way for us in the mercy of God through His sacrifice. As He cried "it is finished," and died in our place, the temple curtain was torn in two, from heaven to earth. In this sacred, Holy, secret place. a way was made for us to see guilt removed, failure covered, peace with God, in which we can live every moment or every day.
A permanent place to be.
Because of what Jesus has done for me and you, our privilege is not to live temporarily in the joy of who God is, but to "dwell" (live every day) in the shadow of his "greaterness", and "higherness". We live covered by who He is. The beauty of Jesus Christ covers our lives, He is the view to be seen over all we see. He enrobes every detail of our lives each day (everything which troubles, causes anxiety, a sense of failure, a sense of need and limitation.) He is our permanent security and peace. Nothing can separate us from Him. Romans 8:31-39. In His death and ultimate suffering, He conquered all, for all time.
2) The safest place to be.
At our hardest times, we see the world under a shadow. However, the spiritual reality is that all that we see and all things (even what we don't) are under the shadow of His unwavering goodness and grace. Our times are in His hands, and each microsecond of His protection endures, persisting into eternity. As those who have become His children, we are not owned by harm, God's enemies, or the storms of life. We are under and in His protection, His angelic (v12) and omnipresent, omniscient hold. His grip of grace has never failed and will never. Nothing comes into our lives which is not under His shadow of care and protection.
So walk on in faith.
Fear is the repeated tactic of the enemy to stop us from taking the next step of courage in Christ. What if we fail? What if we give away our hearts and people don't like us or abuse it? What if we show more vulnerability or conscience to others? What if we travel for mission and bad things happen? What if evil prospers, and it feels like there is no way out for us to do the right thing?
Running into the Holy of Holies is not running away from life, escapism or stoicism to keep going; it is the place of refuge in a guaranteed storm. Running to all that He is and being reminded that He goes with us into daily storms means that there is an appropriate confidence as we hide in the guaranteed shelter of His care. Nothing in the bible says that fearful things will not crowd into our lives. In fact, the more I trust in Him, the more I see how diversely fearful our world is, its opposition to Him, hatred of His obedient ones (John 15:18), those who live accountable, missional, Christlike, faith-driven lives.
Living under Him is satisfaction. True quality and joy in life is not about protracting life, but about living each day He has allotted (Job 14:5-7) in the joy of His presence and protection, knowing that everything is safely under... surrendered... covered. Whatever you face this week, I pray for your joy in His protection and your peace and joy in the safety of His covering.
PSALM 91
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2 Cor 1:8-9
For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers,
of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
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