Wednesday, July 24, 2013

In the Shelter of the Lord

Psalm 27:5-10
English Standard Version (ESV)
For he will (A)hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will (B)lift me high upon a rock.
And now my (C)head shall be lifted up
    above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
    sacrifices with shouts of (D)joy;
(E)I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
(F)Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
    be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, (G)“Seek[a] my face.”
My heart says to you,
    “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”[b]
    (H)Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
    O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
    (I)O God of my salvation!
10 For (J)my father and my mother have forsaken me,
    but the Lord will (K)take me in.

Sometimes we find ourselves in the midst of trouble and we feel rejected by everyone.  In David’s case he was even rejected by his parents.   We may think that there is no place to go but there is, in the shelter of the Lord.  In those times of trouble we have a choice to run to the Lord or run away from Him.  Why would anyone want to run away from the only one that can truly protect us and the only One that can rightfully judge us?  Christ is the One true King who will not forsake His beloved.  When Christ was on the cross and said, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”  it was because Christ now had all the sin of the world upon Him and was separated from the Father.  Christ did this for us, so that we would not ever have to be separated from the Father.  The pain that Christ felt at that moment was the pain that unbelievers will feel when they are eternally separated from God.  Yet, as believers we can rest assured that Christ is with us and will not turn His face away from us. 

When we find ourselves in trouble, whether from our own guilt or because of circumstance our Lord will forgive.  Although we have to face consequences for those actions, our Lord still loves us.  He has put His seal upon us and nothing can separate us from Him.  Unlike earthly parents who may disown a child, our Lord does not disown us. 

In good times or bad, we need to seek His face.  We need to cry out as David did that He not hide His face from us.  Forgiveness comes from the Lord as we seek His face.  He will not forsake us or turn His back upon us for He loves His children and we must not turn from Him.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila


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