July 5, 2021
My Hiding Place
Gwen Smith
Today’s Truth
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7, NIV).
Friend to Friend
My paternal ancestors came to America from Europe in the 1700s, and settled just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Hanging on the wall of my childhood home is a faded-with-time land survey of our property, signed by William Penn, and dated 1773... that's before the Declaration of Independence was even signed!
Our house was a red brick century home built by my great-great-great-something-or-other back in 1830 to replace the log cabin that had burnt down. It's the same house my father grew up in. And his father. And so on. It’s a cool old house, built to endure fire and high winds, with six-brick-thick door frames.
My siblings and I played on acres of wide-open spaces and hid in great hiding places. You see, we also had an old barn. A virtual kid’s recreational candy shop. That barn was our exclusive clubhouse and our neighborhood basketball court.
Though our old farmhouse had some interesting nooks and crannies we could sneak off to, the barn was the perfect place to hide when you needed to get away. When I needed a break from my older brother, older sister, younger brother or younger sister, I'd go to the barn.
It was a quiet place. I could think there. It was a safe shelter from sibling squabbles. My personal place of rest and refuge.
In Psalm 32, David said the LORD was his hiding place in times of trouble.
“Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD " - and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:5-7).
I don't have a barn anymore. And even if I did, my hiding place has changed forms. It's no longer a physical place, but a spiritual place.
It is no longer a where but a Whom.
The Lord is my hiding place. He's dangerously holy, yet safe and approachable.
I love the picture the psalmist paints of God as One we can run to when life gets hard. He's a Strong Tower. A Shelter in times of trouble.
Got any troubles?
Yeah, me too.
The good news is we don’t need to bear our burdens alone. Rising waters won't reach us because we have a sacred, secure shelter that we can run to. A hiding place. A loving God who will not only protect us but sing loving songs of deliverance.
"Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).
Will you trust Jesus as your hiding place today?
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, Thanks for welcoming me into Your presence by the grace of Jesus. (Pause for a moment of confession here.) I lay my troubles at Your feet and trust You as my hiding place.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
What trouble are you facing today? Have you experienced the safety of God’s shelter in the past?
Read Psalm 31 and 32
More from the Girlfriends
If you want to read and study the Bible, but don’t know where to start, this is for you! Girlfriends in God cofounder Gwen Smith has several downloadable online Bible Study options that will guide you on a personal journey with the Lord as you read, record, reflect on and respond to His Word.
Each inductive study can be done in the comfort of your home and in a timeframe that fits with your personal schedule. Visit www.GwenSmith.net/BibleStudy to learn more.
© 2021 by Gwen Smith. All rights reserved.
Originally published Monday, 05 July 2021.
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