Tag: safety

Come into the Ark

On By vickleaIn promises, Scripture2 Comments

In order for Noah to have an ark to go into for safety, he had to obey God and build it. God didn’t make the ark and tell him, “Here you go! Your safe space is ready for you!” Instead, Noah had to pick up his tools and work hard at building a huge boat for which he was ridiculed. Think about it. You’re doing what God tells you to do and everyone else is making fun of you. Hmm. Sounds somewhat familiar at times, doesn’t it?

When Noah finished building the ark (after about a hundred years), God told him it was time to go into it. It’s a good thing that Noah was tuned in to God’s instructions. We need to have that same mindset…just do what God says to do and the reason may/may not be told to us later, but it will be a good one.

Why was Noah called into the ark? Because God saw him as righteous before Him. The world was a wicked place, kind of like our world today. The only way we can be righteous before God is to accept His Son as our Lord and Savior. When we have done that and become the Christians that He desires us to be, adopted into His family, then we are invited into the ark. The ark is not a physical boat of safety. Rather, it is the place we can always turn to in order to be safe from the world’s temptation and sin. We are invited to go in, but we have to take the steps to get there. God will not shove us into a place of safety; rather, He woos us with love and patience, reassuring us constantly that He knows what is best for us.

There is a lot we can learn from Noah…obedience, listening for God to speak and doing what God says when He says it. We have a shelter provided from all of the storms of life. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be storms, just that we won’t suffer all of the consequences that we would without an ark to take refuge in.

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Living by God’s Laws

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

www.bible.com/reading-plans/31835/day/1

Do you remember when you were a child and your parents set down certain rules that you had to follow, for your own safety and well being? For example, I was told at a very young age to always look both ways before crossing a street. I was told not to touch certain plants like poison ivy or oak. They might look harmless, but I found out the hard way that they were indeed untouchable. As I aged, the rules changed and I felt more restricted by them, but my parents assured me that they were for my good. I was not to go out alone at night; I should have a sibling or a friend with me. I was told that smoking was bad for me as was alcohol. I was instructed that sexual relations before marriage was bad for me physically and emotionally.

Just as my parents had rules for me, I had rules that I expected my children to follow because I love them and wanted them to be safe. Likewise, God gives us rules, standards to live by. We are not a society that likes to follow rules. This is the generation of “if it feels good, do it” and “do what makes you happy.” People may have changed their view of God, but He has not changed His view of them. He loves each of us and wants what is best for us, even when we are ignoring His standards because we think that they restrict our freedom. What they actually do is give us more freedom to live longer, happier and healthier lives. God’s rules are for our benefit, not our harm. God doesn’t want us to suffer the consequences of wrong choices, so He makes clear what the right choices are. It is up to us to listen and follow them. Or, we can reach out and touch the hot stove and find out for ourselves that it will indeed burn us. Obedience is a choice, but so is sin. Thus, we are expected to choose wisely. Our Heavenly Father loves us, just as we love our children, and He wants us to grow closer to Him, following His rules because they are what is best for us. He who knows us best and loves us best gives us rules so that we can become the best person we can be, representing our Savior and loving the life that God gave us.

Sleeping

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

One of the reasons that I dreaded traveling was because of my recent problem with insomnia. No matter what time I would go to bed, I would wake up in the middle of the night (between 3-4 a.m.) and have difficulty falling to sleep again. That led to my taking naps during the day because I would just be too tired to make it without one. So, when we planned our trips to MD and PA to see grandchildren, I knew that naps would probably not be possible and dreaded how tired I would get. But, surprise! It’s almost time to return home again and I have actually been sleeping all night every night that we have been away.

I have prayed this prayer faithfully for about a year now, hoping but not really believing that I would be able to sleep well. I confess that for this issue, I was at a low point in my faith journey. God showed me that He answers prayers many times in spite of me and my own doubts. I am thrilled that I have slept so well at our son’s house and at our daughter’s. I pray that this new pattern continues when we return home, but if it doesn’t, I will do what I was doing before. I was wakeful and praying as God brought people to mind. Perhaps He needed me to be praying but I can’t say that with certainty. No matter the reason for my insomnia, God can use it to teach me lessons and to have me pray. God gives me safety and I don’t need to be afraid, even of not being able to sleep.

A Fortress

On By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

If you look carefully at the image of the fortress, you will see that it appears to be built among the rocks. That large structure is not moving! It isn’t going to go anywhere any time soon. That’s why when we call on God to be our fortress, we need to run to Him. Then He surrounds us with His protection, but first we have to go into the safety that He has provided for us. God rescues us when we run to him for the protection He already has available for us.

May your day be blessed with the knowledge that God will always be your fortress.

Crossing the Street

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

I am sure that you remember being a child and having the adult with you grab your hand at each intersection of the road, carefully taking you safely to the other side of the road. I still do this for my younger grandchildren. Even in crowded parking lots, I am quick to grab a hand in the hope that I can keep them safe from the cars that are coming from all directions.

Did you know that sin comes at us from all directions? These days, it is prevalent wherever we look. If we look in the newspaper, there it is! Listen to the radio or television, there it is! So how do we navigate to the other side safely?

God takes our hand, just as we take the hands of those we love in order to safeguard them. But just as we walk carefully and lovingly to the other side, so does God. He doesn’t grab our hand forcefully and pull us to the other side of the road. Rather, He takes our hand gently in His and leads us there. How is that possible? Because His Word is in our hearts, so we are constantly being led to the safe place where we can fellowship with Him instead of with evil. Yes, evil is rampant, but God is bigger and will always help us get to safety if that’s where we want to be. Unfortunately, many of us like the sins more than the Savior, so we choose to stay in the unsafe territory where we can be run down by the sins all around us, much as a speeding car can do at an intersection if we are not vigilant. Choosing to take God’s hand is the right choice and for me it is the only choice. We don’t need to be afraid of all of the sin that surrounds us; God is bigger, better and already victorious!

May you remember that God is always reaching out His hand to you to take you safely to the other side of the street, no matter how much chaos there is between you and safety. God bless you!

Finding Safety

On By vickleaIn ScriptureLeave a comment

proverbs.bible/proverbs-18-10

Many of us seek safety and security in things or in other people. But the Bible teaches that it is the Name of the Lord that is our safety, our strong tower into which we can run to seek shelter. Buffeted by the world and all of the bad news that is reported daily, I find myself frequently just withdrawing and calling on God. His answer is to calm my spirit and reassure me that He is in control in spite of circumstances. I have needed that reassurance this week and I am thankful for His strength that has carried me back to calm waters.

May your day be blessed with worship, peace and the love of the Almighty surrounding you.

My Refuge

On By vickleaIn Scripture8 Comments

www.bible.com/111/psa.91.2.niv

One of the favorite games of my little granddaughters in Maryland is to play virtual hide and seek with me. They hide and their daddy uses his phone and my voice to tell him where to look. The giggles are so precious, even as I am seeking them. And they are young, so hiding in the same place repeatedly is a thing with them. Recently, the youngest (who will be three in a few weeks) grabs her mommy by the hand and insists that her mommy hide with her. When I read this Scripture verse this morning, this game came to my mind. Evie’s refuge is her mommy; she knows that she is “safe” with her.

Likewise, I know that I am safe in the arms of the Father. He is my refuge, no matter what the circumstances. The last two weeks have been hard. I mentioned something previously about our home in Pennsylvania. It was the first house we had ever purchased after over twenty military moves, and I was like a momma bird with her nest. I ordered carpeting, decorated and put up curtains that I had actually picked out. We had planned to make that our real home together, pouring time and energy into making it a refuge. But then, the unthinkable happened. I couldn’t find a teaching job in PA. I tried everything that I knew to do, praying constantly for God to show me what He wanted me to do. In the end, we left our home in PA and I got a job in MD. Our home that I had created was rented to various other people and has been for the last thirty years.

Two weeks ago, we discovered that our property management company had sought approval to put our house under Section 8 rentals, without our prior knowledge or approval. My husband, who worked in real estate after retiring from the Air Force, was visibly upset. Section 8 housing usually means lower property values and can often mean renters who do not take good care of the property. We tried in vain to contact the owner of the office in PA, but he never returned our calls. Frustrated, I called the home office in TX and got in touch with a nice lady who promised to investigate what was going on. She called back and told us that the house is already leased under Section 8, again without our knowledge of approval. We cannot get out of the lease, so we are stuck. That puts us in the uncomfortable position of having to try to sell the house when the lease is up. My husband and I prayed and think that will be what’s best, but we will continue to pray. We don’t want to be sued for discrimination, but neither do we want to have a home that is losing value annually.

Anyway, throughout this nightmare, my stress level has been high, so I have been praying a lot. God has reminded me daily that He is right there with me. He is my refuge, the place I can go to be safe from all of the cares of the world. I am trusting Him to show us what to do when the lease is up and when and how we should move and leave Virginia behind. I have to be reminded daily because somehow I am hard-headed enough to try to handle things on my own, get stressed and then God’s Spirit gently reminds me that He is walking through this with me. He is helping me on the multiple phone conversations with the nice lady in TX who has taken over our account, he is guiding me as I write e-mails to the office in PA concerning the errors on their invoice and their changing our property without our permission. He has even been there when I angrily cried out that the man in PA who was supposed to look out for our best interests betrayed us and lied to us. God reminded me that I must forgive him and move on. Honestly, I am working on that. When he comes to mind, I ask God to help me to forgive him and his costly errors that have already cost us thousands of dollars in repairs that may not have even been necessary. Like little Evie, I have to have God’s presence with me so that I feel safe from all that is happening.

Is there something hard that you are faced with today? God is your refuge, your place of safety. Are you feeling assaulted by the things of the world that you can do nothing about? God is your refuge, your place of safety. I thought I knew these promises, having leaned on them for years. But then, the enemy came and showed me that I was not leaning or hiding in God; I was trusting myself to make things right. That never works because God is my refuge, my place of safety. I’m still learning daily to let go and let God be God. As someone said, this, too, shall pass.

Blessings, my friends, for a lovely day filled with insights from the Heavenly Father!