A Safe Place to Live
Tell us about your daily visits to God’s dwelling place. http://talk.thelife.com/2006/06/15/a-safe-place-to-live-2/
The boxes were piled high and the Twin Otter aircraft was at the dock waiting to be loaded. We were moving south from our isolated northern location. As a bush-pilot’s wife, moving was familiar to me. I had grown used to making our home in unconventional places… an un-modern cabin, a mobile home where the pillows froze to the wall and even in the top of a hangar.
And here I was, being asked to move again… to another unconventional place. This time the invitation came in God’s Word. It stood out to me as I read it…
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust???’ (Psalm 91:1 - 2).
Oh, I already knew God and visited with Him regularly but I sensed this was different. I thought about what it might mean to take up residence in God’s shelter. Not just to have little visits there now and then, but to actually live there daily, to make His presence my dwelling place and to completely trust Him with my life.
Living there gives me the privilege of resting in His shadow every day. There I have a refuge. God is the fort around my heart and I can rest trusting in Him. Yes, this is where I want to live! You are invited to live here too. Don’t live another day out in the cold of worry and fear.
Ask Him to manage your mind and guard your heart today. As His child you have an open invitation to live here… every day.
Ask the Almighty God to take the concerns of your heart and bring peace to your soul and daily guidance to your steps. When fear or uncertainty threatens to overtake your heart, remind yourself where you live. Ask God to help you rest your worried mind. Ask Him to be the fortress around your heart, giving you peace in place of anxiousness. Ask Him to help you simply trust Him to hold you steady. It’s the safest place to live! Your Refuge!
~Father God,
Thank You that I can know You in a personal way. Forgive me for the times when I keep You at a distance and worry my way through my day. Thank You for Your offer of a dwelling place, a safe place to bring my heart. Today I want to feel Your presence with me. I ask You to shelter my heart and bring rest to my mind. Give me wisdom and guidance in the things that I can change in my life. Help me to trust You to keep me sheltered and calm in the things I have no control over. Help me to rest here today. You are my Almighty God and I trust You with my life. In Jesus’ strong name, amen.
About the Author
This devotional was written by Gail Rodgers. Learn more about Gail: http://www.talk.thelife.com/authors/gail-rodgers/
Questions
Are you ready to move to the shelter of God’s place of rest for your soul?
How do you do that in a practical way on a daily basis?
Ask God to keep you mindful of living in His refuge every day.
Comments
Post your comments on TruthMedia’s women’s devotional blog. Visit http://talk.thelife.com/ and just click on the word “Comment??? (no need to register).
Join the live chat today at 10:30 am Eastern: http://www.christianwomentoday.com/chat/minidevos.html
Related Article
God, our shield
http://www.christianwomentoday.com/devotionals/daily/2200.html
Copyright
This devotional is protected by copyright laws and may not be reprinted or posted to a site without permission from TruthMedia Internet Group. All readers are welcome to forward the devotional to a friend or link to it. If you would like to seek permission to reprint the devotional in full, please see our guidelines: http://talk.thelife.com/reprint-permission/
This subject really hit home with me.My husband of 57 yrs is a stroke victim. He is totally disable. when this happened my first thought was Lord I can”t handle this. He said you can but,I knew without a doubt I was going to keep him at home.The first couple of weeks I was afraid to go to sleep.I soon realized I could not do this alone and I started to pray and prayed until I got peace from God.I finally learned to let go and let GOD. We are closer now than we have been in years,my walk with the Lord is stronger than it has ever been. what he is allowing for me to do is take care of one of chidren that cannot take care of themselves God bless you all
Just wanted Dorothy to know that I am adding her to my personal prayer list and to let her know that as her Christian Sister, I Love her! Through my local church in Lebanon, Or. I have experienced the power of prayer in #’s for myself. You are loved my dear, just keep studying and praying.
Gail, thank you so much for this devotional today. Just when I really needed this. I have had an operation on my heart but was not told that depression could happen after surgery. I have been a Christian since 1953 but this is so very new and scary to me. It seems at times that the heavens are closed to me (but I know better) God NEVER LEAVES ME NOR FORSAKES ME, To get this truth from my head to my heart, is much much harder than it used to be.
I love my Lord with all my heart and so appreciate the devotionals which I receive.
It is so hard to feel (not fact) that I am loved by God and others, because right now I find it hard to love myself. As you can see it seems to be all feelings but by fact and faith I know differently.
Thank you again and God bless you richly and keep up the good work for the Lord.
Dorothy
Bless all of you who shared your comments with us. They hit right on with me. I have been struggling with “worry” and then feeling guilty that I am not trusting Him.
By you all sharing your comments, others of us have encouraging ways to work on ourselves. I have been a Christian since 10. I will be 62 in November. I still feel like a babe in Christ. In these past few weeks though I have experienced the HS working through me in awesome ways. Truly BIBLE STUDY / PRAYER / FASTING and sharing your prayer requests with other believers all make it happen.
Again thank you for sharing your comments with all of us. God Be with all of you in your daily walk with Him. Karlyn
I also have big worry and anxiety issues. God has been dealing with me on this things. I also, will pray and give it to God and then all the doubts, fears, and worries come to mind later. Therefore, I am not really trusting Him. So, in that moment of doubt, I pray again and give it to God all over again. If I have to pray 100 times a day, to feel peace, I do it.
God is at work and He is showing me what joy, rest and peace looks like.
Praise be to God!
I am so blessed by your comments about how God has been teaching you and guiding you along your spiritual path. As you share your experinces with us, you are also encouraging the rest of us. Thank you. May God bless you.
Thank you for sharing this with us Gail. There is no safer place to rest and recuperate. I love my times alone with the Father. Safe in his shelter whatever the storm. How strange that although we know that shelter is always available to us, that some days it is the last place we go too instead of the first. How wonderful to have the Lord as our strong tower and fortress. We are so blessed in his provision for us. Thanks for the reminder to live in the shelter of the Almighty day in and day out. Pratice for heaven!
I find it overwhelmimg and ironic that I should recieve this website right now. I have been out of “Touch” with God for some time now, A month ago I returned to church. I have also returned to reading my bible daily and I have prayed that God will hear my prayers and give me the strength to do what I already know I must do. One of our Hyems last Sunday was “His Eye is on the Sparrow” it touched my heart. Because I know He watches over me.
I have a problem with worrying, I give things to God and then the what if’s comes into my mind. I realize if you are going to pray don’t worry and if you are going to worry don’t pray. I know that God is my refuge and a very present strength in time of trouble and Psalm 91 is so to live by and give some much comfort and peace and I do good with my faith at time, but i sometime allow worry and doubt to steal my sleep and joy, but God is good all the time.
Waiting on the Lord can be difficult. As I wait for God’s hand to move on a situation I’ve been going back and forth between doubting and believing. Monday thur this morning I felt defeat in my heart. My victory was gone but at 4:30 a.m. God woke me and say you need to pray and what a difference it made. Even though I pray regularly the last few days I was tried, woke up later and didn’t make time to pray. The only solution was not the choice I had chosen so I laid in defeat but this morning God has able to fill my empty cup and lifted me out of my depression. When people ask me how I know He is real it’s because of how He has changed me through the power of His spirit and how without changing the situation He alone can change our perspective. To God be the glory for ever and ever.