God is Our Refuge Archives - Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel

Living in the Shelter of the Almighty

Jaime Wiebel — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 10:00:09 +0000

Living In the Shelter of the Almighty

There have been times in my life when all I needed was a place to seek shelter. Refuge from life and the storms that were on the brink or in my midst. In those times, I wished I had known what it meant to seek the shelter from Almighty God.

It was something that I had to learn as life’s storms became overwhelming.

I grew up in the midwest. I know what a storm looks and feels like. Before the storm, all seems calm. There is no movement or breeze in the air. You can feel the tension building up in the atmosphere. All of nature becomes quiet. The birds stop chirping and the trees stand firm and still in their place.

Then, all of a sudden, it all comes crashing down. The wind and the rain break loose. The tension that has been building up finally let’s go. All you can do is sit with anticipation waiting out the results of it all.

Waiting to see what you have to pick up and put back together in the aftermath of the storm.

Fighting the Storms Alone

Some of the storms in my life have been self-inflicted. Meaning they are the direct result of bad decisions. In those times, I didn’t seek refuge from God for fear, guilt, and shame seemed too great to face Him.

Those were the times I tried to ride out the storm by myself and always failed miserably. Having no one to help pick up the pieces or put them back together made those times the hardest.

I was always left broken and more damaged than the last time. Feeling helpless and hopeless that I not only couldn’t fix things but had messed them up even more.

It became a revolving door of self-loathing and desperation to find the next best thing to make it go away or feel better.

It wasn’t until I surrendered, not just admitted I was a sinner and asked Christ to come into my life, but really surrendered my life to Christ, that I found refuge in Him.

Finding Refuge in the Lord

What finally broke the tension and the distance that I had created between myself and God was the loss of our twin babies. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back you could say.

I realized all the fighting and the running that I had been doing were driving me into the pit that I didn’t want to be in.

I believe that God has a way to get the attention of His children. For each of us, it is different. That is what makes our stories on the path to redemption so unique and beautiful.

I am grateful to God for knowing what I needed and for knowing how to get me there. I was a mess without Him. Quite honestly, I am a mess with Him, just a mess that has hope.

Life is never easy and is full of situations that cause us fear and anxiety. Life is full of times that cause us heartbreak. The awesome thing is we don’t have to stay there. We can find refuge in the wings of the Almighty.

Had I Known

Had I known I didn't have to fight through life alone, earlier in my life, my days would have been ruled by #peace and #hope. #Seekrefuge #underthewingsoftheAlmighty
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If I would have sought refuge in Christ, instead of trying to run from Him, I could have been spared from the regret of grieving my Father.

Seeking refuge with God in times of danger, even if they are the result of our own decisions, mistakes, or recklessness, offers us something that nothing else can.

I love the verses from Psalm 91. The author of this psalm is not known, which makes it all the more wonderful because we can fit into this psalm so seamlessly.

What is known, however, is that the author felt fear from the storm that pursued them. We can all so easily relate to that.

What I want to encourage us with today is overcoming that fear with the truth that sets us free from those fears when we meditate on God’s Word.

Psalm 91

Psalm 91 has such beautiful assurances. Assurances we can hold onto while we are braving life’s storms. Here are seven verses that I would love for you to meditate on with me.

Psalm 91:1-2 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most-High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings, you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Psalm 91:9 – 11 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most-High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Psalm 91:14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

Under the Wings of the Almighty

I love the imagery of the wings. Being tucked in close to God as we ride out the storm together. As a parent tucking in their child close protecting them from devastation. God never promised us a life free from the storms but He offers us protection through them.

I had a friend email me that she had been praying for God to take her out of the situation that she was in. It seemed to be piling up bigger than she could take. I reminded her that the beautiful part is not just in the rescue but seeing God’s provision through it all.

Reliance on God is these times allows His strength to shine through our weakness. God doesn’t always just want to instantly rescue us and free us from the storm. He wants us to learn how to hold onto Him and stay under His wings during the storm.

When we have called on His name and put our trust in Him, these verses tell us, He will rescue us. He will send His angels to guard us. How amazing is that!

I will rescue Him, says the Lord. These are sweet words to my ears. I don't know about you, but I want to know that I always have a #rescue, a #refuge, and a #shelter from life's storms. #underthewingsoftheAlmighty
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The post Living in the Shelter of the Almighty appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

A Safe Place to Land

Jaime Wiebel — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 07:54:00 +0000

The other
day a lady said to me, watching my child play around, “If you could bottle that
energy, I would like some of it.” I quickly responded, “If I could bottle that
energy, I would use it.

Being the
mom of busy youngsters, I always feel like I am ON. Like a switch with no OFF
button. Not necessarily because they are so busy but because I feel like if I
am not protecting them in all that busyness, they are going to get hurt.

When we had
our first child, like many new parents, I was on top guard. From the
watchtower, I was ready for any kind of ambush.

Most parents
can relate, you don’t want anyone to get too close to your little precious
newborn because they might break. You smile through those uncomfortable moments
when someone asks to hold your sweet darling as you kindly tell them they’re a
bit fussy today. You don’t want anyone
to breathe on them or they might get sick. The list goes on and on….it is
exhausting just thinking about all those protective measures that we take.

Between my
first and second child we lost three during pregnancy, twins at 5 months and
one at 8 weeks. So the reality of losing children had gone beyond a fear. When
my second child arrived, I was nearly in full on panic mode. I was so fearful
that something would happen to him and I was gripped by this fear.

I became
hyper-helicopter momma. Everything my kids did had to meet my approval. It had
to be safe and free from any chance of losing them.

I was so
gripped by the fear of something happening to them I would tell myself if
anything did happen to them then I myself would die. I believed they would only
be okay if they were in my constant care. I would be the one to keep them safe.

Most parents
can relate to the fact that parenting comes with many fears.

I not only
feared losing them but feared something possibly happening to me. Then who
would keep them safe? My husband is a great father but I couldn’t fathom who could
take care of them when he was away?

I was absolutely
afraid to die. I was afraid to leave my kids. I was afraid of all these unknown
factors that I could not predict or control, and this fear had a tight grasp on
my life.

Fears or
anxieties are often times things that have not yet happened to us. Maybe we fear our child falling and even if
they have fallen they have not fallen more times than they have.

Some fear is
okay. It keeps us alert and aware of some present dangers. Some fears, however,
control our lives to the point of putting us in bondage to something that is
out of our control.

I learned
through grieving the loss of babies, God completely had His hand on me. I
trusted Him to get me through a time I alone could not bear. I poured out my
heart to Him, and he was always my safe landing place.

One of my favorite verses is Philippians 4:6-7, Do
not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I could say
this verse. I knew what it meant. I had seen the hand of God give me a peace
that I could not comprehend and He had consistently guarded my heart and mind.
I trusted His promise.

But then it
came to my kids that were in my hands. I wasn’t so sure that I could always
keep them safe and I began trying to control every situation for fear of not
being able to handle life if anything happened to them.

One night, after
a Bible study discussion, I just started crying. I said to my grandma (who shares
similar life circumstances) “I have been so afraid of losing my kids and I
thought if anything would happen to them I would just die, literally die. Tonight
I realized, I have already lost three children and I didn’t die. God rescued
me. He protected me. He saved me then and
He would do it again.”

The fears
that I was holding on to were not becoming a reality. I was so consumed by them,
I couldn’t see clearly.

In reality, I
had beautiful children. God, not me, was protecting them around the clock.
Because as much as I hovered over them, their lives still were not in my grips.
Their ultimate safety, as safe as I try to be, in not in my hands.

I had to be
able to release that fear so I could be the mom they needed me to be. I had to
ask God for forgiveness for not trusting Him with these little lives. I had to
be able to not only know the promises of God but I had to believe them to be
true for my life.

Psalm 62:8 says, O my people, trust in Him at all times. Pour out your heart to Him,
for God is our refuge.

David
reminds us in this Psalm to trust the Lord at ALL times. Does this mean with my
children? Absolutely.

We can
continue to live with those fears that have a hold of us or we can be pour our
hearts out to God. I love the promise that follows. For
God is our refuge. He is our
safe place.

Safety is a concern
with our children but it is no longer my fear. I have released my fears to God.
I have literally poured my heart out to Him and safely landed in His arms. I
have decided my only option is to trust His love for my kids is greater than my
own. He is not only my refuge but He is theirs.

I am
wondering if anyone reading this needs a safe place to land. Do you need a
refuge or a place to pour out your heart? I urge you not to wait another
moment, pour out your heart today.

Please SHARE
this with the people in your life. Continue the discussion in the comments
below.

Related Posts: Expecting the Unexpected and He Can Move Mountains

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