Finding Refuge in a Manger

Greetings fellow travelers,

I must apologize profusely for my lack of postings. The holiday season has been a bit more intensive this year than in the past. There has been much going on around here getting my home ready for my sisters' arrival from my former home in Buffalo, NY (And No, there is not 6 feet of snow on the ground yet to trudge through -- YET!!!) There has been whole a lot of running and driving around for supplies. The weather has been more rainy than I remember and more than once I have found myself seeking refuge amongst dry places in malls, Big Lots and Home Depot.

Today's devotional passage is

Psalm 68:33-35 (HCSB):

³³ to Him who rides in the ancient, highest heavens.
Look, He thunders with His powerful voice!
³⁴ Ascribe power to God.
His majesty is over Israel,
His power among the clouds.
³⁵ God, You are awe-inspiring in Your sanctuaries.
The God of Israel gives power and strength to His people.
May God be praised!

Finding refuge is not a concept that most of us relate to in the physical sense. We have our comfortable homes and vehicles and the freedom to come and go without restraint. The physical freedom we experience can sometimes hide the emotional need for refuge, until someone or something brings it all to the surface and we cannot avoid or ignore the reality of our need. It is at this very important point in time that our concept of God comes more and more into focus.

If we are not careful we can spend all our lives around the circumference of the circle of knowing God and never actually get to the center of it. It is easy to get caught up in the mechanics of living a Christian lifestyle and not truly understand what it means to take refuge in a Christian Life. 

Focus on the word 'sanctuaries' in verse 35. Webster defines this word as "sacred, a holy place, as a building set aside for worship, a place of refuge or protection" The image is one of a church or other building where we go to find relationship with friendly faces or even God.

However, in this Christmas season when we await with growing anticipation the birth of the Christ Child, instead of the word 'sanctuaries' - substitute the word 'Manger' !!!  

re-read the 35th verse ---

God, You are awe-inspiring in Your MANGER.
The God of Israel gives power and strength to His people.
May God be praised!

Now reread the whole Psalm with the word 'MANGER' .

Meditate on this during this season. Taking Refuge in the SANCTUARY of the MANGER which gave refuge to the Christ Child -- Emmanuel 'God With US'!!!

Publish Post

Merry CHRISTmas

finding your life - then giving it back

Devotional reading: Psalm 34: A Psalm of David when he feigned madness before Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed.

A song of praise and thanksgiving to God sung by David when he faked insanity to save his life.  He 'lost' his 'soul' that he would be sent away from the presence of man and so live another day. We prefer to lose ourselves when confronted by the ultimate enemy that even in our own great strength, we prefer 'flight' over 'fight' and run or skulk away.

Feigning madness? Faking temporary madness - and then singing a song of thanksgiving to God? This just does not sound like something to thank God for. I mean, if there was faith in God and in His message of "I am with you always"? Then why would you need to fake it to make it? Why would you feel the need to temporarily convince someone you have 'lost your mind body and soul?' I mean is or are there times when you feel safer being pseudo-insane? Do you feel safer being driven away from the company of mankind because you just cannot deal with what is going on in the circumstances of the moment you are locked in? Confronted by the enemy of enemies against which you have no sure defense or will to fight? Mother said there would be days like this. But so many days and all in a row!!?? I loved my Mom, but come on. What can happen next?

Unemployment? Disability? Foreclosure on home? Family in crisis through catastrophic illnesses or otherwise? Changing careers in midstream by necessity, not by choice? Raising children, Making decisions about caring for your aging family members at home or sending them to care facilities. Divorce, separation, death perhaps? Anything and everything that can loudly and proudly declare that the human condition is upon our lives threatening our very sanity. Life just seems to be ceaselessly cascading on us, and well, we just want to lose ourselves - get away from it all because there just seems to be one too many battles we must choose to fight.  

The central questions in life - Why me? Was I born for this? Who am I that my Lord should choose me for all these 'honorable' and 'blessed' moments? What am I - God's pin cushion?

These questions are troubling until you find the answers that ring the truest for you. These questions can be difficult if not standing next to impossible when you have no foundation in faith - no image of the light at the end of the narrowing tunnel. Being human, we require a revelation of meaning in our lives far beyond the overwhelming pictures or images of crises.

What revelation of sanity do you need to seek? Are you seeking? Sometimes, we get so focused on how we seek the answers that we overlook just how intently others are seeking to help us out of the toughest of spots? Who could be seeking you at this moment? When you are confronted by the 'ultimate enemy' do you feign insanity? Feign faith in the love which died to save you?

God Bless