Dear Friend,
I feel your sorrow and your grief although I know I could never come close to understanding what it is like to walk in the difficulty of your shoes. The Lord has given me a word of encouragement for you, so I am blessed you would be finding these words to read right now. May it truly be His heart poured into yours.
The children of Israel, God’s people, were saved from Egypt after 400 years of slavery. They were promised a land to dwell in, safe from their oppressors. For us too, there is an Egypt we are rescued from. God saves us out of our own slavery to sin when we enter into a relationship with Him through faith in Jesus, His Son and through the blood He shed. At the moment of belief, we are saved from the oppression of sin, and become a child of God’s. And just like Israel, there is a land of promise that God desires to bless us with. The promised land to Israel, for us the believer, represents a life filled with the Spirit of God.
As Joshua was leading God’s people through the land of promise, some were being neglectful to take possession of the land.
“Then Joshua said to the children of Israel, ‘How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers has given you?”’ Joshua 18:3 NKJV
The land was already given to them, by God, but they were neglecting to take possession of it. In our lives, we too can neglect to take hold of the land God has already given us to dwell in. The storms of this life are many. It can be hard to see clearly when the rain is pelting down on us, the wind is fierce and the destruction of the storm is threatening to, or has already changed the course of our lives forever. Please know, dear one, that as a child of the living God, we have a place set aside for us to dwell in, if we will go to it. The Psalmist referred so many times to this place as a hiding place, a place of shelter or a refuge.
“Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually.” Psalm 71:3 NKJV
“You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7 NKJV
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.’” Psalm 91:1-2 NKJV
It is in the presence of Jesus where he guards our heart and our mind, meets all of our needs and satisfies every longing of our souls. He is our protection. It is only through the calm and security of His voice, through his word that we can find peace during the storm. The exhortation from the Lord for you, my friend, is do not neglect to take possession of the land. Do not fail to run to the place of shelter-found only in Jesus. He has already given it to you – but are you taking it? He’s calling you to Himself. He will flood your mind with peace if you will meet Him there. Being in the very presence of Jesus, through the Spirit of God, is where you will find rest for your weary heart. Run to His word. Run, don’t walk. Pick up His love letter, addressed to you, the Bible. Psalms is a wonderful place to submerse yourself daily and whenever your mind and emotions overwhelm you. He will faithfully meet you there and speak to you. He will faithfully wash over you the cleansing, healing waters of His Spirit as He whispers right into your heart, “I’m here. I’m with you. I’ll take over. You don’t need to be afraid. Come to Me.”
