Under His Shadow - Journal

A few years back, I felt I was stumbling along in a dry sandy sinking desert.  I guess the gloom around in the world was also hitting me.  Chilling news of murders, terrorists attacks and the horror of knowing how many Christians were being massacred for their faith, while other innocents were just being mercilessly slaughtered all over the world.

I prayed for the world, and for safety all around me, but the news only delivered out one grim report from another.

Listlessly I turned pages in the Bible looking for comfort, and there was none for some strange reason.  I prayed and felt my prayers were hitting a brick wall.

Finally, I came across a verse, "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings" Psalm 17:8. These wonderful words seemed to glimmer out of the Bible and shot straight at my heart.  It was a golden verse of release for me with a message of hope.  We have a great powerful God who protects us!  This realization jettisoned me to the hills with hinds feet, skipping and leaping on higher plains!

It is amazing how a particular verse can nourish and lift one up in that moment of time...a rhema - an utterance sent from God to you.

Then on New Years Eve, Pastor Solomon in Bangaluru ( Bangalore) spoke a wonderful message about dwelling under the shadow of God's wings, abiding and hiding there.  Wow, it was God reconfirming the exact same verse so personally and I was ecstatic.

The beauty is under God's shadow, we are deeply protected.  Peter dwelt in the Presence of God, and when his shadow fell on the people, they got healed!  Wonders happen when we dwell under His Shadow.

In the shadow of His wings, there is great comfort in a world of storm and destruction. Yet, as we belong to Jesus, we pray for our safety, protection and walk out of homes each morning, or remain in our homes trusting God for greater victory, protection and joy for the day.

  

So, how do we dwell under His shadow?  I believe it is in a relationship with God through talking with Him, meditating on a verse during the day, listening to what He says deep within you, and obeying it.  A little example is whenever I am in a walking, talking communion relationship with the Lord, I see change around me.  It never fails to amaze me.  Wonderful peace descends in our home when I am abiding in His presence and the storms wash away.

 

As a family, we always pray for protection before we start off on a journey in the car because we see many accidents and deaths while traveling along the highway.  Now it is a habit to pray for protection on any travel.  A couple of years ago, my husband, two young sons and I were driving back home late in the night.  We were tired and well, my husband was sleepy.  Usually on those late night drives, when he is sleepy, he pulls over and dozes off a while.  However, that night, as he was driving along the highway on the forested way, he was nearly falling asleep.  Then suddenly he braked.  It was a reflex action and he did not know why he did that.  In a flash he was fully awake to realize he had nearly crashed into the side of the road!   The next instant a car raced on in front of him, As he braked suddenly, we all jerked and awoke from a zone of sleepiness with a shock.  He told me in a stunned voice he had braked and he did not know why.  This was no reflex action.  It was God's angel, we know who made him do it.  Psalm 91:10  No harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. And He will indeed send His protection over our lives.

I believe that we have angels watching over us.  We cannot imagine what accidents, mishaps and disasters we are saved from each day.  God keeps us safe and alive for a purpose.  He has a plan and that is why we have special protection.  No evil can befall them who trust Him.  We can claim our promises of protection from God.  Psalm 91:10  No harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. And He will indeed send His protection over our lives."

When we commit our day to the Lord and pray for protection specifically, we do get delivered from from evil, harm and danger.

 

Psalm 34:7:  The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.

Rita Farhat Kurian