Shade

Psalm 61:1-4

      1 Hear my cry, O God;

      Give heed to my prayer.

      2 From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint;

      Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

      3 For You have been a refuge for me,

      A tower of strength against the enemy.

      4 Let me dwell in Your tent forever;

      Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.

Explain/Examine

Here David appears to be faint of heart. But he remembers the past. He knows that God has saved him before. A protection from enemies. And in that remembrance, he desires to stay in the shelter of the Lord. The shade and shadow of the Lord is a comforting place.

How do I apply this to my life?

Lately, I believe I am faint of heart. I have come to understand my loneliness. My heart longs for company and to know I am not alone. I AM NOT ALONE! We are isolated and desperate. We think we are the only ones ever going through anything. Social media allows us to portray perfection when we are dying on the inside. And yet we all want security and significance. Isn’t that the issue with loneliness? I am not getting my significance from someone or something in my life that I think I should. When, in fact, my security and significance come from the LORD. However, as we are made in His likeness we are built and must find community with people. When life gets busy and distracting, it can cause us to lose focus on those relationships. Angi and I can do life together and still be distracted by life. I must be intentional with her. I must put in the effort to have meaningful conversations. I must live in a community of men who are devoted to pursuing Christ because in that pursuit we will be curious about each other. Like David, I remember these types of times in my past. They may be considered a more recent event, but it still happened. God is my refuge. He is my strong tower. I rest in his shadow. But if I am His and I rest in Him, why would I get lonely? Just because of a broken world? An enemy that wants to kill and destroy me? Gut check! Where is my focus? What am I really not getting, and where do I think I am not getting it from? Make adjustments! Don’t be passive!

What is my response?

Father, I have neglected You. I get in a routine and I place you by the wayside. Life rolls on and I check to make sure You are still there. I read Your word and write these journals but I do neglect our relationship. I struggle in our conversations. I assume too much about You. You allow life to happen all around me. In that life, there is an opportunity to find You in all of it. But we get stuck on the event rather than the relationship. We want to be happy in the happening when we should find our joy in You no matter the circumstance. Forgive me. I want to do better with talking with You throughout the day, but it seems the day always gets in the way. Help me. Soften my heart to hear You. I pray that I am obedient in it. Thank you for allowing me another day to do it better. And tomorrow I should thank you for another day to do it better…Amen.