Safe!
I need you all to know something right now: You. Are. SAFE!
No matter what you’re going through, what you’ve been through, or where you’re at this moment, you are safe and can be safe if you’ll run to God.
Though our circumstances and our very lives can seem to be out of control, we can rest assured that God has us right where He wants us. It may not feel like it. However, when we feel overwhelmed, scared, tense, stressed, hurt, angry, anxious, ill, or even threatened, we can run to Him and He promises to shelter us, even to hide us, beneath His wings.
“He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” ~Psalm 91:4 (NLT)
I know that being sheltered can mean a lot of different things to many people. However, to me it means that my God not only shelters me, but He keeps me protected. His promises never fail. He never goes back on any of them. He can be trusted for everything. Every little itty bitty thing in my life, God cares about. The same is true for you too, my lovely friend.
Let’s face it, there are a lot of ugly things going on right now in the world. It can get stressful. It can get ridiculous. It can play on our minds and get out of hand if we let it. Or we can turn to the One who never changes, Who is always steadfast, always anchored and allow Him to anchor us as well.
“So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.” ~Hebrews 6:18-20 (NLT, emphasis mine)
I find great hope in Him because He never changes. So I never have to worry about Him changing His mind on protecting me, saving me, healing me, or helping me. He promised He would and that will never change. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” ~Hebrews 13:8 (NLT) He’s never mad at me or you, even in our worst times. I can back into something in my car, dent it pretty good, get out and utter a curse word, and God is still not mad at me. He still loves me and He is still protecting me. Of course, He does like it when I go to him and apologize (that’s called repenting). When I do, He is quick to forgive me and forget the incident, for which I’m even more thankful.
“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” ~1 John 1:9 (NLT)
The point is that with Him I am safe. I am safe from everything and everyone who comes against me for whatever reason. And right now in my life, there are many things coming at me. The dent in the car was one of the minor ones.
God wants to protect us. He’s our Daddy, why wouldn’t He want to? Maybe that’s difficult for some to believe. Maybe your earthly dad wasn’t there for you. Maybe instead of protecting you, your earthly dad harmed you. For many, the earthly dad caused you to have a distorted view of the unconditional love of your heavenly Dad. It’s hard to imagine a God Who promises never to hurt you when your earthly dad did. I get that. So how do you get past it?
Here’s my suggestion:
Start reading God’s Word (the Bible). Use a translation that you can understand. I use the New Living Translation (as you’ve seen above). I also bounce back and forth between other translations like the New King James Version, the Amplified, the Message, and my most recent find, the Passion Translation, which reads like a beautiful love letter. Read whatever touches you. Just read! My recommendation is to start reading in the book of John (New Testament) and also the Psalms (Old Testament). You get a little bit of Old Testament and New Testament at the same time.
Whatever you do, be sure to let it soak in. Let it speak to you. Read a couple of verses and then think about what it’s saying. Take notes. Write down your thoughts. Write down His thoughts. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you about what He wants you to know in that passage.
Everyone gets something different out of reading Scripture. I don’t know how it happens other than to say this is God’s Word, His Love Letter to you and me. It will say whatever He wants to say to YOU. And that’s the most beautiful thing about it.
He wants you to know right now that with Him, you are safe. From everything. Yes, we will go through some hard things. Tough things. Things that will cause us hurt. But through it all, He is there, He hurts with us. Yet, He is also teaching us something so pay attention and learn while you’re there because down the road He will have you use what you’ve learned to help someone else. I know this from personal experience.
Oh, how much you are loved right now, dear friends. It’s not a hoax. God is not a hoax. He is very real. He is very much in love with you. Whatever you’re going through right now, don’t allow the enemy (the devil) or someone who is nay saying to keep you from turning to the One True God who loves you more than life itself. After all… He gave His life once, then took it back up again to defeat the devil, death, and hell… All for us.
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” ~John 16:33 (NLT, emphasis mine)
Blessings to you!
Shelley
