Monday, March 16, 2015

IN THE SHADOW OF WINGS


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 is fraught with emotion, anxiety-ridden, and painful – I suppose that’s part of the 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 – confused – useless.  Not feeling good.

No, 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.





There is peace
underneath
His wings. 



"...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured...so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted." (Hebrews 12:1-3, ESV)

“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)

"...those who trust in the LORD will find new strength.  They will soar high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31, NLT)


"Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up...We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.  This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed.  We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.  We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God.  We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed...That is why we never give up.  Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.  For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 

So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.  For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever."

(Selections from 2 Corinthians 4, NLT)


(NOTE: I've been traveling this past week, and had no time for writing!  So, this is a reprint of a post written on December 9, 2010.  Funny how timely it is for me again!!  I hope you enjoyed it! )



Where are you hiding today?



Linked with:

SHARING HIS BEAUTY, PLAYDATES WITH GOD, SMALL WONDER, MONDAY'S MUSINGS, MONDAYS AT SOUL SURVIVAL, MAKE A DIFFERENCE MONDAYS, GOOD MORNING MONDAYS, TELL ME A TRUE STORY, SOLI DEO GLORIA, TITUS 2 TUESDAYS, UNITE, TESTIMONY TUESDAY, TUESDAY TALK, WISE WOMAN, COFFEE & CONVERSATION, A LITTLE R & R WEDNESDAYSWOMEN WITH INTENTIONSO MUCH AT HOME, WORD FILLED WEDNESDAY, THREE WORD WEDNESDAY, COFFEE FOR YOUR HEART, TELL HIS STORY, TEACHING WHAT IS GOOD, BELOVED BREWS, THOUGHT-PROVOKING THURSDAY, EVERYDAY JESUS, GRACE AT HOME, THOUGHTFUL THURSDAYS, SHINE, LIVE FREE THURSDAY, LITTLE THINGS THURSDAYS, FRIENDSHIP FRIDAY, FELLOWSHIP FRIDAYS, FELLOWSHIP FRIDAY, GRACE & TRUTH, SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS, COUNTING MY BLESSINGSFAITH FILLED FRIDAY, MAKE MY SATURDAY SWEET, LIGHT FRIDAY HIT LIST, A GROUP LOOK, SATURDAY SOIREE, WEEKEND BREW, STILL SATURDAY, RECOMMENDATION SATURDAY, GIVE ME GRACE, SUNDAY STILLNESS



BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

43 comments:

  1. I'm not hiding in the sense of cowering in fear. I do want to be able to say I am hiding in the shelter of His wings.

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  2. May you find your comfort in the shadow of His mighty wings, Sharon. Blessings and prayers for you!

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  3. Whenever I would be going through particularly hard times, I would picture myself under God's wings, like a baby bird under its mama's wings. I indeed want hide under his wings, especially the strong ones of an eagle :) Hugs to you, Sharon, I hope whatever your particular problem you give it to the Lord and allow yourself to rest in the shadow of his wings while he continues to work on it for his glory and his perfect will.

    betty

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  4. Under His wings I am safely abiding;
    Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
    Still I can trust Him, I know He will keep me;
    He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

    Under His wings, under His wings,
    Who from His love can sever?
    Under His wings my soul shall abide,
    Safely abide forever.

    Under His wings—what a refuge in sorrow!
    How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
    Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
    There I find comfort, and there I am blest.

    Under His wings—oh, what precious enjoyment!
    There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
    Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me;
    Resting in Jesus I’m safe evermore.

    I haven't heard this hymn for a long time but I love the words. Thanks for the reminder. Praying you find rest in the shadow :)

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  5. I will probably hide at the show today and under His wings.

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  6. I hope that peace and rest comes soon for you Sharon - guess it is eluding many at the moment. Take Care and God Bless

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  7. Bless you my dear Sharon ... isn't it something how what weighed heavy on you at the end of the year of 2010 (that sense of foreboding worry) and stirred this excellent piece of wonderful words and imagery, once again has resurfaced as being timely. I guess it just goes to show you how remarkable this reminder was then and now of where we can hide safely. I love everything in this master piece reflecting on this Scripture from your witty and clever "toolbox" analogy (thanks for the chuckle) to the majestic image of the eagle soaring over the mountains (love to soar)! However, today I am hiding back in bed with a sheet pulled up for my stuffed up head, imagining being soaring closely under His wings of healing, praying for you and yours to find and hold on to that peace, security and REST with His perfectly timed answer and you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is guiding you, giving you the grace and wisdom you need and instead of hiding that you can handle and deal with an overcoming spirit of strength any turbulence that arises. Praying and sending a BIG hug (too bad we keep returning to these same old same old circles in our journey) but this time, you CAN rise up under the shadow of His wings and SOAR! Vaya con Dios!

    Love you Sharon,
    Peggy

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  8. I'm in the same spot, flustered and frustrated about some situations that I have no control over. I need to let go and trust and rest in God but am struggling to do so.

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  9. When we can't rest, we can hide. Beautiful lesson here, Sharon! I'll try to remember it when I have one of those days (weeks?) where I can't seem to rest either.

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  10. I can so relate to what you shared in this post!

    Your comment "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." was a wonderful word picture of everyday life "in the shadow of His wings". :-)

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  11. Sharon, a timely word....nonetheless. Thank you for sharing with The Small Wonder Community.

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  12. Dec. 2010 seems like a lifetime ago. I remember those blog days well, but this post read as brand new to me. I've been hiding for a long time now, but I do believe that I need to learn your lesson of hiding beneath the wings instead of a cave.

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  13. "I want to learn the lesson of resting in the shadow of His wings." Me too, Sharon. Ahhhh...rest. I think many of us face the same battle(s) you described here. I love that we serve an Almighty God who has the power to give us wings to soar. Joining you today via #TestimonyTuesday.

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  14. Your post added strength to a teaching our small group leader gave last fall using the toolbox and same sentiments of trying hard to fix it all. I think about that and enjoyed your humor with it today. So, again, I'm putting away the toolbox, too, and soaring high above where the eagles fly! And David...oh to worship like he did!

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  15. Resting in the shadow of His wings...that is such a beautiful thing to think about! And this is exactly what God wants. He wants us to rest in the reassurance of His never ending love. When we hide in the shadow of His wings, we aren't hiding from Him, we are hiding in Him. How blessed we are to have such a GREAT protector.

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  16. I am not a good rester either! I need to learn to rest in Him more and more, and yet it is SO hard! I am so dependent on Him and yet I try to think I can do it all on my own, and fix things my way. I think the best way for me to combat it is to pray. Pray to Him and just ask for help, because I truly need it.

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  17. thanks for the reminder to rest in him :)

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  18. Hiding in the shelter of His wings. Love this!

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  19. Thanks for linking up at Woman to Woman's Word Filled Wednesday! God bless!

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  20. Oh, friend, lifting you up in prayer as you hide in the shelter of His wings. And know that your words bring comfort as I too wrestle with a hard situation. But as I wrestle He's revealing me deep need for Him because I can't do this on my own.
    Much love to you.
    xoxo

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  21. I love this post so much. It reminds me of one of my favorite songs from growing up in the Catholic church that I incorporated into my wedding - "On Eagles Wings." Thanks for linking up at #ThreeWordWednesday.

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  22. This is a great picture!! Our toolbox will always fall short in fixing the problem. Way to lean on HIM!

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  23. I've always marveled at the words of David. It's easy to look at all his blessings and forget that the first half of his life was spent fighting for his life. Even when he "had it made", he had to flee from his oldest son to save his life and was betrayed by the majority of his people.

    I've never seen anyone in all of scripture that was used mightily by God not get put through the "Valley of the Shadow of Death". He marches us through it for His glory and sign of His sovereignty and love to all who watch us dine at "the table set before us in the presence of our enemies."

    Good one, sister.

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  24. I LOVE THIS!!!!! Hilarious yet profound truths...

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  25. This is about the 3rd time this month that I've come across this Scripture. Obviously, God wants me to put down my toolbox, too. -- I am glad that there is room underneath His wing for all of us.

    Hugs, fellow fixer.

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  26. I did enjoy it! I love the image of the eagle soaring and I can envision hiding under His wings. I can seethe full situation from this view, and realize my small portion, my little problem, is just that: small in His capable hands! Thank you Sharon!

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  27. Absolutely wonderful post. We should make more of an effort more often to put away our tool boxes and let God do what He needs to do without our interference, and what a wonderful place to rest in the shadow of His wings. Thanks for sharing at Good Morning Mondays. Blessings

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  28. Ha, super grins from me today! I have been a little bit obsessed with the shadow/wings thing, ever since one of our Messianic Jewish gals taught a lesson about what it meant in the Hebrew sense. Something about the prayer shawl called a Tallid (spelling?) and when a young boy was bah mitz-vahed (spelling again?) the elder with the shawl would wrap him in it like wings and pray over him.

    Like a protective, tent like covering. Just as awesome as a Bald Eagles wings.

    This has been one of my several themes during this season of Ranger School. Hopefully we are in the home stretch and God will help us soar to victory.

    Thanks for sharing this, friend. Love you.

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  29. I love it when an old post is ever new. I began to chuckle immediately as I only read a few words of your post. Yes, that is Sharon, I said to myself. Thank you for sharing your inspiring post with us here at “Tell Me a Story."

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  30. Oh, I want to sync my breathing to God's! What a lovely thought--one I'll be carrying with me as I clean today. It's a hiding time for me, too.

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  31. Loved this so much! I have recently been learning that God truly does mean for us to rest in Him. We were designed to be people who rest, not strive incessantly. Thank you for the reminder.
    Blessings,
    Kamea
    incrementalhealing.wordpress.com

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  32. It is the whole FIX thing isn't it. I can remember crying out, "I don't know what to DO!" And if there is emotion involved. That's overload. Praying to rest and trust. Thanks so much for linking this at CMB.

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  33. Beautiful and timely! Thank you for re-sharing! Glad I stopped by from the #fellowshipfridays link up at Equipping Godly Women.

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  34. with you, here
    searching for a hiding place
    rest from my own weary worries

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  35. Resting instead of fixing. It's a challenge I frequently face... as I'm always trying to "fix" things. Such a wonderful reminder you've shared her.

    Thanks for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop).

    Wishing you a lovely day.
    xoxo

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  36. Pure beauty Sharon! I love the image of the eagle's wings as an analogy for the shadow for God's wings that are powerful, strong and safe. Blessed you shared this at The Weekend Brew.

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  37. I am so thankful that God hides me in the Shadow of His wings, especially during those seasons where I do not understand His ways.

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  38. good thoughts. I wrote something I found last week that I'd written on scratch paper in Oct 2014. It goes with resting in the shadow of His wings as well. Today I'm resting in His grace that he's given me. Have a blessed week!
    #givemegrace

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  39. Yep, been there and definitely done that. You care so deeply you want to make it all better, but it's not up to me (or you). I'm amazed how much of our issues of life come back to trusting our Father. Great reminder and always needed! Thank you, Sharon.

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  40. I'm so sorry, dear friend. I surely know how you feel...and it seems like I will surrender these things to the dear Lord, only to go back and take them back from Him an hour later. If we only knew what He knows...if we only saw that He has it all under His control, and He is going to see us through. God bless you and ease your troubled mind. Love you and am praying often for you!

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  41. I'm a "want to grab my toolbox", too but I love this post of hiding under the wings!! I'm sorry for the struggle but I believe this post will be the encouragement someone needs today! :). Thanks for sharing at Women With Intention Wednesdays!

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  42. Love this post! I'm glad you re-published it, since I had never seen it. Thanks for joining Grace at Home; I'm featuring you this week!

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  43. "I am moved by the image of hiding in the shadow of God’s wings." I'm moved by this, too, friend. Let's soar together! :) I'm glad you linked up with us at Grace & Truth!

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"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.)