The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
The righteous run to it and are safe.—Proverbs 18:10
Last night I was looking at Isaiah 43 where God says:
But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
God owns me twice...He owns me because He created me and He owns me a second time because He redeemed my life from destruction. I belong to Him. He knows my name. He knows everything about me. This morning when I read the OYB Proverb my mind went back to what I had been contemplating last night but with a different twist. He not only calls me by my name but He also calls me by His name because I am His. I have taken His Name into my heart.
The promise of safe harbor in His Presence found in this proverb is MINE. I am one of His righteous ones because He is my righteousness...my YHVH Tzidkaynu - The LORD Our (MY) Righteousness.
I can cry out to Him and He will hear...I can run to Him and not faint...I can go boldly to His throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need...
Father...Your name represents all that You are. You are my unchanging God...I can trust You in all things. I am safe in Your walls. The past year has brought with it so many changes and with those changes new concerns, new cares and new ways of doing things. I confess, Father, that I am growing wearing keeping up with all of it and feeling like I am not sufficient for any of it. I am thankful that You are my strong tower...my refuge from a world that moves to fast. Today I will run to You, my merciful God, and be safe. I will run by faith to my refuge of faith. You set me “aloft” from it all...high in Your strong tower. I am sheltered in You — I dwell in the secret place of the Most High, hidden in Your pavilion...safe in Your everlasting arms.
What A Friend We Have In Jesus"
What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
