my safe place

Yesterday marked the end of my 6 week journey through Deuteronomy with Beth Moore. This journey has been truly intriguing. What I thought was just an old testament book of law has become so much more. This study has become a place where I have built a monument of remembrance. Studying the cycle of the Israelites I have learned why the Lord has asked us to "do this in Remembrance". Our easiest pit is becoming so satisfied with what life has to offer and sometimes (most times) these are blessings from the Lord himself that we forget the Lord. We forget what we have come from. We forget grace. We forget mercy. We forget our Father, our Creator, our Healer, our God. We must remember the works of the Lord or we will fall into sin of making ourselves our own god. We must remember or we become prideful and arrogant in our own abilities (which were given to us from Him so you think it'd be easy to remember).

Yesterday we ended our time in Deuteronomy 33 and 34 (which makes complete sense since those are the last 2 chapters of the book...). Boy did/do I love reading 33:26-29!

"There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty. The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, Destroy. So Israel lived in safety, Jacob lived alone, in a land of grain and wine, whose heavens drop down dew. Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread upon their backs."

My safe place is in the Lord. No matter where this journey leads me I am "safe" in the Lord. This promise isn't saying that I will never hurt or that I will never be in danger. The Lord has called me to battle. He has called me to take the gospel to the wolves. So I will go praying the whole way that the Lord would use me and protect me and I my strong-willed, self-righteous self will rest under the wings of the Lord. So often I fail at this. I trust more in me to protect and all my self protecting tactics lead to is riding the bench. I allow myself to stand on the sidelines just watching war waging around me because of fear and doing what I think is right. I am "protecting myself right out of a calling!" (Beth Moore)

So as I close this book I desire to remember. Every time I see these pages I will be reminded of the works of the Lord and the daunting cycle of the Israelites. I desire to live a life remembering Jesus and I can best do that by talking about him! So let my lips never shut. Open your mouth and remember. And as I live to do this I know that I am dwelling in my safe place. In the place with my Savior. In a place were grace is lavished and mercy reigns. A place where blessing pour down like rain. A place that may lead to suffering, but this suffering is for my sanctification and it is good. A place where I am armed with shield and sword. A place where I can rest in the arms of my Redeemer.