Run to the Hiding Place

‘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 all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.’ (Psalm 32:5-8, NIV)

Do you ever find yourself feeling like you are surrounded; like you feel like you need to be scared of everything? Life can be so overwhelming at times, it feels like it completely encompasses you day by day.

We have all been there, and when you are feeling that way– when you are letting the world invade your thoughts and emotions– you are forgetting the who God made you. You are forgetting the platform that you stand on each day and how the Lord arms us with his love and strength.

I am the type of person that tries to carry it all on my own. I feel like I want to prove to God that I can do it sometimes. I have this desire to make him proud in all of the wrong ways. I will walk through my day with my eyes blinded to what God is trying to arm me with. It’s like ordering eight drinks at starbucks and the barista offers you two drink trays, but you are determined to carry it all on your own. That may be a silly example but sometimes, we stupidly refuse the help that we truly need just to show we are ‘strong enough.’

I love these verses because they are such a beautiful reminder of what our relationship with God should look like and also gives us the perfect equation of how we are called to run to our Savior for shelter and what He provides that we could never could. In these few verses, David describes how the Lord is his hiding place who protects him from trouble and surrounds him with songs of deliverance! He goes from the feelings of hopelessness to experiencing complete freedom! In verse 8, he says the Lord will instruct him and continue to show him where to go. The Lord will be his counsel and a loving eye that guides him.

This is what shelter in Jesus looks like. Whether you realize it or not this is what your heart truly desires. In our key verse David first talks about how he “acknowledged his sin” to God and he “didn’t cover up his iniquity.” He confessed his sins to the Lord and the Lord forgave all the guilt of his sin. He set David free.

When we are so consumed by circumstances, we submit to living a life in fear and anxiety. When we find ourselves there, it’s usually a good indication that we are at a place where we need to run back to Jesus. He is the only remedy and the one solution to the ache in your heart. If you desire freedom, if you desire true genuine joy, happiness, and realness, run to Jesus! There is a thirst within us for something more than the circumstantial and the day to day. No matter how much you fight it, or convince yourself that maybe you just need to make more friends, or buy more things,or find your purpose in a job or a person, nothing but the acceptance and the hiding place of Jesus will satisfy.

My mom posted something the other day that really spoke so much truth to me and it was a comparison between the voice of Jesus and the voice of Satan. It says the voice of Satan obsesses, worries, condemns, discourages, confuses, pushes, frightens and rushes.  Then we see how the voice of God calms, comforts, convicts, encourages, enlightens, leads, reassures and stills.

Which voice do you want prominently speaking into your life?

The Lord desires to be your hiding place and has a spot just for you. He is prepared to shower you with comfort and calmness and good conviction that will challenge your heart to live right and for Him.

Psalm 46:1-6 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;he lifts his voice, the earth melts.” (NIV)

If you haven’t accepted God into your heart– if you haven’t laid out your struggles and sin before Him in complete surrender– what are you waiting for? He is waiting at the altar for you, ready to be your comforter and your refuge.

There is the life you are living right now, and the life that you can live. Stop fearing the life that God is presenting you! He is everything you need and you are denying Him like a plague, continuing to live in your sin and suffering.

Trade that for a better life. When you have God, your fears are quieted and your heart is at peace. You are living in new life. You don’t have to live in hopelessness and confusion. Come to the Lord and let Him lead you.

To do this, to run to His shelter and experience this peace. You need to submit to the voice of God and come to Him in full vulnerability. If you come to Him in all your realness and shame, I promise you you will experience the most powerful love there is. I pray that today, you let Him break you free and set your heart on Him.

Let this song be your anthem. Today is your day, I believe it.