Hiding Place

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.  
Psalm 32:7


Where is your hiding place? As you can see from the picture, my friend Aimee is hiding inside a rather large Thirty-One bag to show just how much can fit inside. I bought this bag to take on the women's trip with my church. Dawn (another close friend) and I were discussing how big the bag was and Aimee decides to climb inside. It was one of those rare times that a picture would be worth a thousand words.  I ran to my room to get my camera and felt a rush of excitement about the endless possibilities of how I could use this picture. Of course some obvious jokes on Aimee came to mind; but on my way home that afternoon, I found myself thinking about something very serious. I started to think of the storms of life that we face and how they can leave paths of destruction that take years to repair. It made me think about how quickly my daily circumstances and inconveniences can affect my desire to seek a hiding place in God. But God offers protection from the things that bind us and hold us back and I know that in His presence there is joy beyond all measure.

God provides shelter and protection if we seek Him in all of our ways. Seems so easy to say but I have moments where I want to be in control. I want to take care of my circumstances. I want to tell someone how much their words or actions hurt me. Instead of seeking God's will, I can get caught up in "Celane's will". The results of my will can be very damaging, especially when I decide to take matters into my own hands. 

I'm reminded of the story of Job. God allowed Job's suffering because He knew Job had the strength to endure the hard times while remaining faithful. The pain that Job suffered is something that you and I cannot fathom, but that is not the lesson to be learned from this story. Something was going on behind the scenes that we know nothing about. We question God; but we don't see the full picture.  Job's suffering was allowed because God had a plan. God was then and still is...in control. Psalm 18:30 says "As for God, His way is perfect". So we can trust that whatever is going on in our lives is part of the plan God has in store for us. It is also a reminder that whatever Satan intends for evil, God is constantly at work to turn things into "His perfect ways". We are safe with God. It is the only hiding place where we can get away from our enemies and their constant schemes meant to destroy the "good"work that God has created in me and in you.  Our responsibility is trust and obey and submit to His will. 


As my favorite day of the week approaches and I prepare the song sheets for church, I feel hopeful in the last part of Psalm 32:7..."surround me with songs of deliverance". This morning, I woke up humming this song from Psalm 3:3. 


Thou oh Lord
Are a shield around me
Your my glory
Your the lifter of my head.


Let God be the lifter of your head. Seek a hiding place in God's word so that you can find solace in the midst of troubled times that are sure to come.