Psalm 91:1-2 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.””
The Lord, our God is very mindful of our need for a hiding place, to find an asylum from the various assaults of the enemy that we contend with everyday. He knows that oftentimes we are surrounded by circumstances and people that the enemy uses as darts aimed against us, to shake our faith and cause us to fear, so much so that we feel that no one is trustworthy. So, He gives us Himself as the safest haven, Whom we can run into at anytime and know that we are secure (Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.)
When we are tired of running away and the pressure to keep even just a straight face, if not a smiling one, becomes too heavy in the midst of all our challenges, God calls us to seek and find shelter under His wings (Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest”). He has seen what we have been through, what we are undergoing and even what we will be faced with (Psalm 139:16 “..In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”) He assures us that He is a worthy hideout and that nothing can get the better of us when we abide in Him, because while difficulties may exist, He has already seen it all and won it all (Luke 16:33 “ I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]”)
Paradoxically, our response to uncomfortable confrontations is usually to hide from God and not run towards Him to find the strength to face and overcome it, much like prophet Jonah (Jonah 1:3 “But Jonah ran away to Tarshish to escape from the presence of the Lord”). But our God’s omnipresence surpasses our devices to flee from Him, and He makes Himself and His strength available to us a refuge against our odds (Psalm 139:7-10 “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave,you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.)
If we are up against the impossible today, let us ask the Holy Spirit to teach us to run into the open arms of our Savior King, Jesus Christ, and be enveloped in the warmth of His embrace, which is impenetrable to whatever storm or hell-fire that is raging against us, for He is our true hiding place and our shield (Psalm 119:114). Let us hide in Him and not from Him.
God Bless.
bloodvessel 