The Hiding Place

Psalm 32:7,8 "You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye."

What a beautiful exchange of words of trust that we are witnessing between the psalmist David and the great Jehovah God. David, here, was probably thinking back over the many times that he had been protected by God with His sovereign insight into the plans of David's pursuer, King Saul. You see, King Saul was still technically king of Israel, but God had withdrawn His power from him and had already anointed David to be the new king even though he was still young and had no idea how to be one. It was the Lord who was leading David and his band of outlaws through the wilderness as they sought to stay ahead of the jealous Saul for the many years that he chased after them to kill them.
Our God is the only One who can completely deliver. He is the only One who can completely protect us. He is the only One who knows what lies ahead on our pathway because He is in control. I was reminded of an old saying recently while reading the newsletter of some friends of mine who are headed off to N. Africa to be missionaries. "There is no safer place on earth than right in the center of God's will." No, I'm not so foolish as to tell you that because we are children of God that everything is going to go well for us. I know better than that and I'm sure you do also. Recently, I just finished reading a commentary on the history of Israel and it was thick. I mean one of those books that you need a pickup truck to return to the Library. Well, after reading 40 chapters consisting of about 450 pages and spanning the content of all of the kings and prophets of the old testament I gleaned one rather large, but simple truth which is, "trust and obey God and things will end well for you."
Let me assure you that the journey with God will not be without its troublesome and trying times. You may have noticed that I just said that by trusting and obeying God things will end well for us not always be well. This is why it is so important that we are close to the Lord. So close that if He were to cast a shadow we would be in it. Like where it says in Psalm 91, "that he who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." I see from this verse that our God has a place next to Him where there is room for us to be protected. You know, a place where we are to nestle in tight as a baby chick nestles under the wing of her mother. That place is the place of God's word and prayer. These are the places where we are to be found by God which are nearest and dearest to Him. These are the places that have been appointed by our God as places of refuge from the times of trouble. The Bible teaches us that no "weapon formed against us will prosper" if we stand firm on the promises of God and trust in Him by casting all of our cares upon Him who cares for us.
Following Jesus through life is what I am talking about today. Just like David followed God all of those years through his life. The Bible says that God called David, "a man after His own heart." What a wonderful compliment from the God of heaven and earth. Oh, how I hope that when we stand before the throne of heaven in the presence our Lord Jesus, that we will hear words as beautiful sounding as those about us. Remember, from this psalm that God said, "He will instruct us and teach us in the way we should go; and will guide us with His eye." The Eye of God sees everything from the past, present, and future. So, Who better to guide us than the One who sees all, knows all, and answers all according to His will. He is our hiding place and our guide so trust in Him completely and all will end well for you. I pray this has been an encouragement for you and will carry you through the times of trouble. Faithfully, brotherdevon.