Tag: safety

Summer Psalms: Safety

~ Barbara ~ 2 Comments

Happy 250th birthday, America!  We have cause to celebrate, even though we are relatively a young nation, an adolescent compared with Europe and the Near East. Like anyone in their teens, our country has experienced emotional upheavals, divisive warfare, and rages of temper with name-calling or worse. Hopefully, those of us who belong to God have matured and demonstrate the grace to forgive, the mercy to react with love, and a trust that combats fear.

And our young nation has a lot to fear, doesn’t it? We have a lot to fear—violence in our streets, economic failure, duplicitous politicians, imperiled troops on deployment, malicious infiltrators. This doesn’t even list personal troubles, whether relational, physical, or financial.

Fear not! There is good news. We can enjoy dual citizenship, pledging allegiance to the United States of America and also to the Kingdom of God. Our earthly national residence could be Israel or Iran, Fiji or France, Haiti or Honduras, Canada or Cambodia, Bahrain or Brazil—you get the idea. But when we ask God to rule and reign in our lives, we become a spiritual nation of believers, a blessed people who are kept safe in our Father’s care.

As His people, we enjoy the hope and consolation of Psalm 33, regardless of the earthly nation we live in. Savor the Bible’s assurances of safety and security:

  • The Lord foils the plans of the nations.
  • He thwarts their schemes.
  • His purposes stand firm, forever, through all generations (250 years and beyond).
  • He looks down from Heaven and sees us—He formed our hearts and considers everything we do.
  • He delivers us from death—not warhorses, armies, or weaponized drones.
  • He keeps us alive in times of drought (personal or physical).

There are wars and the threat of war worldwide. Who knows how the Iranian conflict or the Ukrainian/Russian war will end? What will be the next war, and will it involve our country? Who can predict how America will be governed in the future? What threats will menace our “United” states?

During our tenure on Earth, we are safe. God has revealed His sovereignty to us, assuring us of His protection. Let’s focus on the safety of our souls and not fear what man can do.

Remember your heavenly residency, for the One who created us is preparing a place for us.

Boarding Fellow-Ship

~ Barbara ~ 3 Comments

Today we sail into deep waters. Friendship is priceless, but fellowship is richer, venturing into uncharted, sometimes stormy waters that reveal hidden strengths and weaknesses. While friendship reflects mutual interests, fellowship is about growth and encouragement, moving beyond shared laughter and tears to unveil our deepest questions and highest aspirations. The vulnerability is frightening, but the rewards can be immeasurable.

Fellow-ship must be approached carefully and with discernment. Boarding may cause waves and expose us to storms we’ve long avoided, but consider the blessings. Hidden thoughts warp over time and skew our perspective. They fester when kept in the dark, but exposing them to light brings health and freedom.

The first and primary friend we need to fellowship with is God. Honest conversation calms the soul and frees our hearts. His presence counters our fears with truth, spoken by His Spirit and written Word. God is utterly trustworthy, loves completely, and never turns us away.

Human fellowship is also precious. We find freedom and growth when we reveal hidden feelings and fears to people who will share our burdens and accept us. But before we offer our trust, one qualification must be met—they need to have a living, vibrant relationship with God. It is good to be cautious. We should not reveal our hearts to someone who freely offers personal opinions that are not informed by God’s wisdom.

With God, there are no restrictions on sharing. With people, we need discernment and time. Trust needs to be established. Parameters need to be set. We also need to guard those who have caused us pain and not reveal their sin to others.

Fellowship is a good ship to sail. It is strong and holds steady in storms. It will carry us on high waters and set a course to wholeness.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, 
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13:14

Image provided by Pixabay

Red Rover, Red Rover

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

For readers too young to remember, Red Rover, Red Rover was a popular childhood game played on many elementary school playgrounds during recess. Kids formed two facing lines, holding hands to form a barrier. One side called out, “Red Rover, Red Rover, let Johnny come over.” Johnny (or whoever was called) aimed at the two clasped hands he deemed most vulnerable and raced across the opening to break the hold. If he succeeded, he returned to his team, bringing one from the opposition with him. If he failed, he joined the opponent as their captive.

There’s a life illustration here. We belong to a “team,” a group of believers where we are safe, united in friendship and faith. But there is a team opposed to us that wants to lure us to their side, calling our name. This is not a game of Red Rover when the bell rings and we return to the safe atmosphere of the classroom. This is life, and temptation’s taunt is not a game we can easily walk away from. When the Tempter calls, his goal is to entrap us. He knows our name and targets our weaknesses.

We may run toward the temptation and, overconfident in our strength and speed, expect success. But the sad truth is, we risk being roped in. When we are captured, there’s no easy escape, no bell to end our captivity. Our team is weakened by our absence, and it will take another brave soul to risk safety and run into danger to win us back.

We thrive in the safety of our team. It is a place where we can learn and grow, increase in wisdom, and resist temptation’s lure. We need each other.

If you’ve run into danger, reach out to someone you trust and ask for help. If you’re standing strong, offer rescue to a struggling friend.

If another believer is overcome by some sin,
you who are godly should gently and humbly
help that person back onto the right path…
Share each other’s burdens.
Galatians 6:1-2 NLT

Picture from commons.wikimedia.org