#882 – 22JUN

Psalm 121 – “Casting Crowns – Praise You In This Storm”

Storms… sometimes storms rage and we are in the middle and sometimes we have no idea, we might see them but not take the brunt of them because we are held or positioned just out of the fray. We sometimes see the aftermath,  but storms can be so localized that we have no idea the issue only a few miles or lives away.  There are storms… floods… tornadoes so specific… no clue… we often have no clue and live so locally. Life storms, whole catastrophes too. No clue.

I was camping (in a strong house) during a storm, it protected me. I got in from a walk just in time. Last month I didn’t,  I was caught in a rainstorm,  I huddled in an old stone house. I was protected.  I was fine. If I didn’t have that coverage I would have had a different story today. Tomorrow I will probably forget that storm even happened. But I will try to remember that I had coverage under His wing.

In life too. We are in storm season of late… But we are to remember that we have coverage under His wing.

So sometimes we also put ourselves into storms that are not ours to weather… But we are to remember that we have coverage under His wing.

We have coverage, the MIGHTY HAND OF GOD.

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

    where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the Lord,

    the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—

    he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel

    will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you—

    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,

    nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—

    he will watch over your life;

8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

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This song by Casting Crowns sings of praising the Lord in the storm, the lyrics include the first 2 lines of Psalm 121. https://youtu.be/0YUGwUgBvTU

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We are held.

I was sitting on the camp porch, beautiful day and barely remembering the storm that raged two nights before. Even the locals praised that storm because it brought needed rain in a localized near-drought this early summer. I didn’t even worry that night,  I wondered with awe at the thunder. I knew I was covered. I didn’t even close the windows.

Can we ALSO know today that we are covered by the MIGHTY Hand of the Lord? His protection is a promise. His reminder to watch our steps is because He is guiding them. We are really watching His protection in every good thing we experience, ALL GOOD THINGS ARE FROM HIM. and He is the only One we can turn to, to knock down those anxieties of life. By our looking at Him SHINE HOPE, we are reminding the storms themselves that WE CAN and WILL PRAISE HIM…

I was pondering (on that porch) a decision about something and I said to myself: “should I?” And as soon as I said: “I should,  BECAUSE I AM BLESSED” – WOW the clouds opened with an intense flash of sunlight. Wow Lord!!! You are in the minutiae of showing signs. You are the guidance of us, even when we don’t even know it. You go ahead. And what we do, or don’t do, compares but a fraction to what You have already done and will do for us. You save us from storms that DON’T happen, even MORE often than save us from storms that do. You go ahead of us. I believe that You hold us in Your hand, therefore we are to praise you in any storm, yes praise even louder above our fears. You are never asleep and allow us to rest. Your Work and Word saves.

When we lift our eyes unto to the hills, we can see HOPE and we might think how the mountains also block the storms. Even heavy clouds can’t rise above.  If they drop their rain,  they can be lighter and rise. We can too. We are lifted rather than weighted down if we drop our burdens to Jesus. We should always lift our eyes to see where we are – under the watchful eye of Our Lord.

Amen

KEEP PRAISING

Amen