Thursday, December 9, 2010

IN THE SHADOW

Today I am NOT resting.

I am fretting, worrying, stewing, ruminating, obsessing, thinking incessantly about a particular problem that has bothered me for quite a while now.

Why is it that there are some situations that are easy to hand over to the Lord? And there are some that are nearly impossible??

This particular situation is one that I feel partially responsible for – I suppose that’s one reason why it’s hard to let go. And this situation causes pain for people I care about – that’s another reason I can’t let go.

It’s one of those situations I want to FIX!

Here, let me get out my little toolbox – I’d just love to use my trusty hammer to pound some sense into people. Maybe I could wrench some reactions here and there to make things better. I’ve got some pliers to twist around some emotions. Oh, I’m sure I could screw up everything if I tried hard enough.

And don’t even get me started with my Sawzall!

Feeling impotent – out of control – useless. Not feeling good.

Where are you, Lord? Where ARE You?? Where are YOU???

I am NOT resting today.

You know, there was this other guy, a long time ago, that I think really understood what I’m talking about.

He was hiding in a cave at the time.

Here’s what he had to say:

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!
I look to You for protection.
I will hide beneath the shadow of Your wings
until the danger passes by.
I cry out to the Most High,
to God who will fulfill His purpose for me.
He will send help from heaven to rescue me…
My God will send forth His unfailing love and faithfulness.”

Did you recognize the voice of David?

Cowering, surrounded, troubled?

Feeling powerless against his circumstances?

I am moved by the image of hiding in the shadow of God’s wings.

One of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen was an eagle gliding over snow-dappled mountains, high in the mountains of Colorado. I was well above sea level – probably at about 10,000 feet – and yet, this eagle soared.

He was strong, majestic, powerful.

Those are the wings I want to hide under.

The wings that understand the shifting air currents of life. The wings that fly where there is hardly enough oxygen to breathe. The wings that glide above a cold and forbidding landscape.

The wings that soar.

I want to learn the lesson of resting in the shadow of His wings.

A place of refuge and safety. A place where calamity can blow like crazy around me - but all I feel is the warmth of His wings, where I am stilled by His heartbeat, and all I hear is His breathing - steady and sure and reassuring.

OK, Lord – maybe today I’m not resting too well – but I can hide.

And I will.

I will tuck myself into You. Lean into Your strength. Trust Your power and goodness. Listen to Your heartbeat – its steady, strong beat. I will synch my breathing with Your own.

I will be reassured by the confidence I have in Your love and faithfulness.

“Clink, clink, clink…”

Oh, don’t mind that noise – I’m just putting away my toolbox.

There’s an Eagle waiting for me.


“He will cover you with His feathers.
He will shelter you with His wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
Do not be afraid…” (Psalm 91:4-5)


BLOG = “Blessedly Leaning On God!”

10 comments:

  1. Thank you for this Sharon, very apt, may our Lord be with us all in the battle and Praise His Name, through His sacrifice for us, we are on the victory side. The battle rages, but the war is won.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Sharon -

    This is a superbly written piece. I soared as I read it. Thank you for the "hidden" message.

    You delivered the nuts and bolts of the matter.

    I got out my screwdriver to drive away the enemy - Satan. He has more than a few screws loose. Our Daddy knows how to teach us to drive that nut away!

    Yes, eagle altitude - that's us. Praise GOD's holy name.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is so powerful. If we will only let
    God be God He will guide us through every
    hard place we find ourselves. His promises
    are faithful, His word is true.
    Blessings,
    Sandy

    ReplyDelete
  4. (((Sharon))) I'm with you, I don't know why some problems are harder to let go of to the Lord and why we "stew" and "fret" over them so much. I often think when we truly let go of them and trust in the Lord to know what is best and to restore or "fix" or whatever, that is when God steps in and starts working on the problem. I like your thought to hide, even if you couldn't be still and quiet about the situation, but to seek shelter with God, in whose loving arms he will never let us go and will always steer us down the right paths if we allow him.

    hugs to you; I hope there will be resolution soon for your particular problem

    betyt

    ReplyDelete
  5. OK, how do I say this without sounding like a freak?

    I literally wanto to STAND up and CHEER at this post. It's my favorite one ever. Period. End of debate. I loved everything about it from the tool box analogy (giggled at screwing things up) to the wonderful imagery of the eagle against the snow capped mountains. It was just perfect, and your words were completely inspired and spoke directly to my heart.

    I loved this sentence the best:

    "OK, Lord – maybe today I’m not resting too well – but I can hide."

    It's a masterpiece. Might as well just jump on off the freak train and gush that right on out.

    Thanks, Sharon.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love the picture of that eagle gliding! What a great reflection of resting in Him.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sharon- you are great, but today's post was "totally awesome!".
    Loved EVERYTHING about it- the visuals, the practicality of it as well as being so relatable...it's always a battle for me to "let go and let God"....the battle continues and God is on our side!
    Love you!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nita - Thank you. You have reinforced in my heart a key point. The battle rages, but the war is won. Thank goodness! The Lord on our side - whom will we fear?

    Sandra - Thank you for encouraging me to write this today. You are SO funny, with all your little "puns" in your comment!! Thanks for bringing a SMILE to my face tonight. And I love the phrase "eagle altitude!" Perfect - let's SOAR!!

    Sandy - Isn't that truly the KEY?! Let God be GOD! I love the promise of His truth and His faithfulness. He is LORD of the hard places in life - every time, all the time.

    Betty - I agree. God is severely hampered in His efforts to work in a particular situation when we DON'T get out of the way!! Some situations are just part of life because of our relationships, and that's what I'm talking about. As always, may I decrease (stop using MY efforts to tinker on the problems) and Jesus increase.

    More responses to follow - can you hardly wait???

    ReplyDelete
  9. Debbie - I have a freak train?! I'm so thrilled! Seriously, your compliments are really appreciated. It seems like when I share what I feel God saying to me personally, something just happens. Other people "hear" something from Him, too. I'm so happy that I was able to encourage you - my special friend. That means more than you know.

    Mary - That eagle was truly one of the most breath-taking things I have ever seen. I can only imagine what it's going to be like when I see God for real! I have a feeling that I'll be flat on my face, in gratitude and praise for His tremendous love - love that saved me, and protected me all my life!

    Sandie - Thanks, buddy. When you have a totally AWESOME God, it's pretty easy to write about Him. And when I think of hiding in His shadow, I am overwhelmed with peace. I think if I HIDE instead of FIX, then I'll bet I end up RESTING more, too! What do you think?!

    Janet - Oh Janet, what a blustering storm we've been weathering, huh? There's room for more under His wings, though!! Come on in and join me. God is on our side - why is it so hard to rest in that when everything is going crazy? But, I know that you and I are learning to run to God faster, and hide in Him - and I just know that the resting will follow soon. Love you, too!

    GOD BLESS!

    ReplyDelete

"So [I] have been greatly encouraged in the midst of [my] troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. It gives [me] new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord. How [I] thank God for you!" (1 Thessalonians 3:7-9)

Thanks for your comments - it is such a joy to be sharing my journey with friends like YOU!

(NOTE: Anonymous comments will be removed. Thank you for understanding.)