On Sunday morning, a sermon was preached using this scripture text. I felt Holy Ghost goosebumps as I read along with the minister, and began to hear his sermon unfold. Our service had started off “with a bang”, and we began our morning worship with songs of jubilee, & with a shout in our step. Then, as the order of the service proceeded forward, there was a shift in the spirit. And we moved into a deeper form of communication with our Lord…a sort of surrender. One of our soloists came to the microphone and sang an anointed rendition of “Breathe On Me”, and as the impact of such a song flowed across the congregation, it was obvious that God was there to do more than absorb our praise…He was there to “breathe on us”. Then, Bro. Jonathan DeWitt came to the pulpit, and he spoke of trusting in the rock that is higher than I…almost as if God put an explanation point on the service!! As if to say, “You have praised me, I have felt your love rising up, and now, as you sit under my breath from Heaven, be still and know that no matter what you face, I’m here. No matter how overcome you may feel, just let me be God to you.”
I’m sure that these scriptures have been quoted by many a soul…those crying out for strength, some perhaps needing to find a place of refuge, maybe even a few have cried out these words in frustration as they faced more than they thought they could bear. And as our pastor reminded us, after Bro. Jonathan had ministered, when life seems to give us more than we can bear, God has ALREADY made a way of escape…all we have to do is trust that its there!!
1 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I;
3 for thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.
Over the past several years, and even as recently as within the past few months, I have been in that place where “overwhelming” seemed to be an understatement. I begged God to hear my cry…but I wonder, now looking back, if at times I had stopped wailing long enough to hear God instead of asking Him to HEAR ME?!?! Society has placed such focus on “drama”, that I think even we as Christians have adopted a flare for the extreme. We are hyper-sensitive, and we over-analyze ourselves, each other, and even God at times. But have we stopped acting the victim long enough for the Lord to truly be our rock? Have we given Him the place to be our shelter? And even in simpler terms, how much do we really trust in the covering of His wings?
I think we have each become a seasoned “actor” in our personal production of “Life”. And don’t get me wrong…I’m not saying that we are phony and shallow and that our walks with God are all superficial. But what I am saying is that I have been guilty of putting more emphasis on the negative (in other words giving the Devil glory), instead of putting emphasis on Jehovah Shamma…my prince of peace. I wonder if I’d stopped whining and playing the victim in times past if I would’ve triumphed over my trial a 1000 times faster…I think sometimes we enjoy feeling coddled by others, instead of just laying back in our Heavenly Fathers arms and letting Him hold us AND our tears. And yes, I’m guilty of that too…for it seems much easier to pick up the phone or write an email about our woes, fears, tribulations & doubts, and then we spend 20minutes wailing to the Lord, without truly giving Him the time to attend unto our prayer. We leave our prayer closet and head to the nearest phone, bowl of ice cream, or tear-stained pillow to soak up more self-pity.
And so today, my thoughts are determined to be on less of my troubles and more upon the Peace Speaker. Because, what better place is there to go, but to the ROCK that is MUCH HIGHER than I? Yes, it may take some re-training for my mind, but I anticipate a fresh sense of peace FROM THE START of any storm that may come. And shame on me if I ever get back to the place where consolation from man outranks the touch of my Savior.
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