Your Shade

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_gCSJI6DKM

Jireh ~ Elevation Worship and Maverick City

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade … Psalm 121:5 AMPC

We loved playing hide-and-seek as children. My grandparents had the best house for it: they had tall bushes and trees near the front of the house and a way to hide under the front porch. It didn’t take me long to figure out that the closer I got to the house, under the porch, the more hidden I was in the deeper shadows. Of course, that meant I had to get over my fear of whatever else might also be under the porch. We don’t often associate shadows with God, but Psalm 31:20 says, “In the cover of your presence you hide [those who take refuge in you],” (ESV).

Psalm 121:5 says the Lord is our shade. As a shade, He is always near, never further away than your shadow. He provides protection, both from the toils of the day and from enemies. And as your shade, the Lord gives you refreshment: The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail, (Isaiah 58:11 NIV).

I hope that today, your life is as light and easy as a child at play. However, on both light days and on darker, harder days, remember the child playing hide-and-seek, who discovered the secret, hidden place:

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. ~ Psalm 91:1-6 NIV

©Heather Potts 2021

Change

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqa8O1ktxk8&list=RDcqa8O1ktxk8&start_radio=1

Hidden ~ United Pursuit ft. Will Reagan

Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. ~ Psalm 37:4 NKJV

Have you ever tried to make a change in your life, but couldn’t, though you tried again and again? Whether it’s overeating, overspending, yelling at your kids, overwhelming schedules, substance abuse, addiction to pornography, or something else, Paul said it best: I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do, (Romans 7:15). Have you ever considered that the issue isn’t your issue?

In Soaking in Expectation, Graham Cooke encourages us to shift our focus from discipline to delight, saying that we can’t force change, but when we delight ourselves in the Lord, His desires become our desires. The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you … (Zephaniah 3:17 NIV). God delights in you, even with all your faults. But He wants the best for you, so He’s changing you from your old self into His masterpiece.

In the medical field, change is written as a triangle. The triangle represents your life: God is the top point, while you and the issue are the bottom points. The more you focus on the issue, the closer you will get to it and the further away you’ll be from God. But the more you focus on God, delighting yourself in worship, reading His Word, and spending time with Him, the closer you will draw to Him, growing further from the issues, until eventually, they aren’t issues any longer.

God doesn’t want us stressing over issues or wearing ourselves out trying to get rid of them. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still, (Exodus 14:14 NIV). He’s asking us to trust that as we draw closer to Him, His love will overshadow everything else. After all, true and lasting change comes as Father God changes us from the inside out.

©Heather Potts 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKj_sVetnXI

From the Inside Out and With Everything ~ Hillsong United

Hidden

No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. ~ Luke 11:33 NIV

Recently, a friend was surprised to learn that reading my work in front of others terrifies me. She said, “But you share all the time.” In my mind I replied, “But I’m hidden.” When I write, I feel invisible, safely hidden behind a wall where no one can see me. This imaginary wall hides me from facing the fears that say, “What if they don’t like it? Or worse, what if they ask on what authority I have to write it?” But God is faithful to remind me that I stand upon the authority given through Christ Jesus and it doesn’t matter what others think, because, it’s not my reputation on the line; it’s His, (Matthew 28:18; Hebrews 6:13-18 MSG).

Maybe, like me, God has called you to step out in faith and speak in public, write and publish a book, start a business, homeschool your kids, change careers, or do whatever it takes to achieve His call on your life. The enemy, aware not only of your calling, but also of the lives it will touch and change if you do as you’ve been called, stops at nothing to defeat you before you’ve even begun. In her book, Fervent, Priscilla Shirer asks, if the enemy is working that hard to keep you from moving forward, “Aren’t you at least a little bit curious what he’s trying to keep you from experiencing?”

Just like you wouldn’t hide a lamp under a bowl, God doesn’t want you to hide the gift and desire He’s birthed within you any longer. Let God’s light shine brightly for all to see, that they may be drawn to His presence! God wants to use you. Commit to stepping out, today, and let His light shine through you, for all to see!

©Heather Potts 2017