Safe and Secure


 

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

 
Security. What just came to your mind when you read that word? Was there a name, a face, the idea of a job, a place or maybe a dollar amount that came to mind? Whatever we think of when we hear the word, no matter how varied our responses may be, one thing is certain, we all want it.

          This year for Christmas my husband gave me a book by an author I really like. The book is called, “Somewhere Safe With Somebody Good.” It’s a great book. I really enjoyed. Before I ever read one page, however, I thought, with a sense of deep awe and gratitude, that’s where I live! My husband is as good to me as I can imagine that any man can be to any woman. He’s not perfect but he is kind, silly, hardworking, stubborn, caring, lovely and over all of that, he is incredibly loyal and steadfast. Does he love me? Yes. Does he forget to show that now and then? Yes but I never, ever have to doubt it because the bulk of my life is evidence of his love.

          As I read the book, I thought more and more about how that title suited my marriage, my life and I became increasingly grateful. In recent weeks my poor husband has had to nurse me through not one but two bouts of flu. He did it without complaint or any hint of an expected pay back. Not for one minute did I wonder how I would get what I needed or get things done. Things were just given to me. Things just got done. That is the way my husband loves me. It’s wonderful!

          How does Otto know what to do to be a good caring husband? He follows the example of our Father. On occasion Otto has disappointed me or let me down. I am somewhere safe with somebody good but there have been moments when that “somebody” has been standing on my very last nerve or worse has forgotten or neglected something that I saw as important. He’s human. I know I’ve done the same things to him.

          God will never disappoint or neglect us. God is our ultimate Somebody Good. He is our safety net at the exact same time He is the reason we don’t need one. I can travel to places where Otto’s protection can’t reach but I cannot travel anywhere that God can’t see me, reach me and rescue me. (Psalm 139:5-12)

          God is love, perfect, protective, providing, love.  My life before I married Otto was anything but secure. My childhood was iffy and my first marriage was a minefield of events ranging from slightly insecure to downright terrifying. In giving me Otto, my Abba has given me a glimpse of how He loves me, loves all of us. In my Father’s arms, in the loving hands of my Abba I am always, truly safe because He is always, truly good.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Applause, Applause and Protection

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, Hebrews 12:1 Reading some Scripture this morning I was reminded of a message that I watched from Louie Giglio. In it Louie described a child of God leaving her home for the day. He goes on about how the heavenly beings see it. With great excitement, he tells of the joy and applause going on in heaven as the woman gets in the elevator, gets to the parking lot and gets in her car. It’s hilarious and over the top, (remember I did say it was Louie Giglio!) but there’s a great lesson in it. My husband and I were watching a TV show about a fictional former president. At one point the poor man is just over the Secret Service detail. He’s tired of them following him around so he fires them. It takes less than five minutes for him to start to see all that they’ve been doing for...
Read more

My Father Saw That

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me, “for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13 There’s a movie from several years ago that I absolutely love! It’s called “The American President.” The premise is that the president, who is a widower, has begun to date. He’s dating a lovely woman while running for reelection. His opponent is awful. He knows he doesn’t have much of a chance against the popular incumbent so he tries to make a mountain out of the molehill of the standing president’s romance. At one point there is a news clip that shows the woman in a protest during her college days. After the clip plays the opponent refers to the president’s lady friend as “the president’s whore.” She groans and says to the president “My father saw that!” She is devastated, not because what is being said is true but because her father, who she loves and respects, saw the clip and heard those words spoken about her. I thought of ...
Read more

Not Really god, where are you?

Then they called on the name of Baal from morning to noon.”Baal answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said, “Surely he is a god! Perhaps his is deep in thought, or busy or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 1 Kings 18:26b-27 Those who know me would be quick to tell you that I am a bit sarcastic. It’s a quality that I have passed on to my children and even some of my grandchildren. Some days I feel a little guilty. Is that really a quality that God wants to see in me? Certainly that cannot be my go to attitude but there are times that it comes in quite nicely. This morning, reading a totally unrelated verse, I was reminded of this account in the first book of Kings. (It begins at verse 16 and continues to the end of the chapter. I highly recommend reading it if you haven’t and it if you have reread it. It’s great!) In this p...
Read more