Snuggle under the Shadow

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 57. Here is what I learned.

Be merciful and gracious to me, O God, be merciful and gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge and finds shelter and confidence in You; yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I take refuge and be confident until calamities and destructive storms are passed. Psalm 57:1 (AMP)

Mercy. May Your mercy come to me, O God, for my soul is safe within You, the guardian of my life. I will seek protection in the shade of Your wings until the destruction has passed. Psalm 57:1 (VOICE)

Be good to me, God—and now!  I’ve run to you for dear life. I’m hiding out under your wings until the hurricane blows over. Psalm 57:1 (MSG)

Max, my parakeet, reminds me often of the safety God provides. Sometimes, Max is content to set on his cage, as long as he can see me. If I leave the room, Max comes flying looking for me. Sometimes, Max wants to sit on my shoulder and  often falls asleep there.  Other times, Max snuggles close to my hear hiding under my hair. The closeness of Max depends on several things. First, if he’s scared, such as during a thunderstorm (he doesn’t like loud noises). Second, if I’ve been gone, and he’s been left alone for any length of time. And lastly, simply because Max wants to be close to me. 

I know that God is a safe refuge when I’m scared or troubled... but how often do I just want to be near God to be near Him? Thankfully, I can “snuggle under the shadow of God’s wings” just to enjoy God’s love and care. 

To create a positive day, I need to snuggle under the shadow of God’s wings and enjoy His amazing love.

Everywhereness

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 47. Here is what I learned.

God has risen with a shout of joy; the Lord has risen ·as the trumpets sounded [with the sound of the ram’s horn]. Psalm 47:5 (EXB)

God goes up to his throne. There are shouts of joy and the blast of trumpets, as the Lord goes up. Psalm 47:5 (GNT)

The Lord with the sound of a trumpet - Yahweh, accompanied with the notes of victory. All this is designed to denote triumph, and to show that the victory was to be traced solely to God. Barnes' Notes on the Bible 

In short, the import of the Psalmist's language is, When the trumpets sounded among the Jews, according to the appointment of the Law, that was not a mere empty sound which vanished away in the air; for God, who intended the ark of the covenant to be a pledge and token of his presence, truly presided in that assembly. From this the prophet draws an argument for enforcing on the faithful the duty of singing praises to God He argues, that by engaging in this exercise they will not be acting blindly or at random, as the superstitious, who, having no certainty in their false systems of religion, lament and howl in vain before their idols. He shows that the faithful have just ground for celebrating with their mouths and with a cheerful heart the praises of God; since they certainly know that he is as present with them, as if he had visibly established his royal throne among them. Calvin's Commentary

God is present.  

Present: being, companionship, company, existence, habitation, inhabitance, latency, occupation, omnipresence, potentiality, residence, subsistence, ubiety, ubiquity, whereabouts, closeness, vicinity, immediate circle, nearness.

Ubiquity: all-presence, everywhereness.

I like that word, “everywhereness”. That describes God. He is everywhere—but very close by! The fact that God Almighty is present, should impact my life in several ways. 1. I can take great comfort knowing that God is near. 2. My actions, attitude, and what I articulate should reflect that God is present. 3. Peace should overwhelm me, knowing that God is near and in control. I am not alone. 

To create a positive day, is very doable, if I only remember the “everywhereness” of God!