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There is a Facebook video floating around with a Momma bird protecting her nest full of unhatched babies from a GIGANTIC tractor and tiller. You see smaller tires in the front, a larger one in the back, and the sharp blade come by. As the danger continued to increase in volumes, she rose up her wings in protection, and was not moved by what threatened her or her children. Maybe you have saw this video floating around, if not you should check it out. Especially if you are a visual learner like me. (I will post a link at the bottom) Side-note, is it not amazing that God speaks to us in the way he created us?

God spoke to me and revealed that this is how he is when we take refuge in him. No matter what we face, he is facing it with us, and we are to take refuge under his wings. He is not moved by noise, threat, or circumstance. He is our refuge, our protector, and our confident assurance that nothing will hurt us. We may be challenged with storms, trials, and tribulations. However, when we run to our shield, our refuge, we will find protection.

“For this is what the Lord said to me:

As a lion or young lion growls over its prey
when a band of shepherds is called out against it,
and is not terrified by their shouting
or subdued by their noise,
so the Lord of Armies will come down
to fight on Mount Zion
and on its hill.

Like hovering birds,
so the Lord of Armies will protect Jerusalem—
by protecting it, he will rescue it,
by sparing it, he will deliver it.” -Isaiah 31:4-5 CSB

When you break down Proverbs 30:5 it sounds a little something like this, Every (command, utterance) of God is (purged, refined). God is a (protector, defense, ruler) to those who (flee to him for protection, confide in, hope, put trust) in him. His question to me is what do I run to when the waves come crashing in so to speak? When you are surrounded with trouble, what or who do you run to? The only true protection and thing we can put our trust in is our shield, God.

I love that the beginning of this verse gives us even more clarity on how important it is for us to renew our mind continually through the Word of God. But, the first part of this verse also states something very clear, the commands that he has given us are perfect. So no matter what you are facing when you are obedient to his commands, run to him to be your shield. I believe that it is no coincidence that these two verses are found together. Many times, myself included, when I was following God’s will for my life. I mean I was absolutely sure God commanded me to do these things, there came the fire and trials along with it. Do you know who the devil attacks? Those who are actually moving on and acting on what God has spoken to them. He loves lukewarm people because he knows that they aren’t actually doing what God had called them to do or when we they do, he is able to stop them with the firery trials. But, when we put our trust in God and DO what he has called us to do, despite what it looks like in the earthly. When we KNOW our identity in Christ and our authority given to us by God as a believer. When we ACT on the things in which God has spoken to us, THEN we give the devil a run for his money. We know that the battle is already won, but the devil is actively pursuing the opposite of God. He wants to steal, kill, and destroy where God has came to give us life and life abundantly.

If you are facing a trial after following God’s commands, do not mistake it as punishment or a mistake it as you heard God wrong. The devil is trying to put on the heat for you to be fearful and disobey what God has called you to do. The only things the devil can do is trick us and lie to us about what God has really said. He has been doing this since the beginning of time. You can see this displayed in the Garden of Eden. “Did God really tell you that you could not eat from the tree of good and evil?” or now it may sound like “Did God really tell you to do that?”, “Did God really promise you that?”, “Did God really command you to stop doing that, come on what’s the harm?”. He is sneaky and is good at disguising himself as an angel of light when really is a fallen angel and nothing but darkness. So, what do we do when we feel like we our pressed down on every side, when we are feeling the pressure so to speak? We do as Proverbs 30:5 and Isaiah 31:4-5 tells us, we RUN to our shield and take refuge under his wings. We know that through his word, which is perfect, God is not distracted at the noise of the world. When we take refuge in him, looking up to see our protection, taking refuge in him, despite what it looks like we are safe and we can trust fully in him. We can only trust him by knowing him and we can only know him by spending time with him. It does not matter where you are in this, he is waiting for you in the throne room to call upon his name, for you to run to him and he will be your shield, your protector, your deliverer.

Link To Momma Bird Video

“As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so I long for you, God.
I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
while all day long people say to me,
“Where is your God?”
I remember this as I pour out my heart:
how I walked with many,
leading the festive procession to the house of God,
with joyful and thankful shouts.
Why, my soul, are you so dejected?
Why are you in such turmoil?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him,
my Savior and my God.
I am deeply depressed;
therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan
and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your billows have swept over me.
The Lord will send his faithful love by day;
his song will be with me in the night—
a prayer to the God of my life.
I will say to God, my rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about in sorrow
because of the enemy’s oppression?”
My adversaries taunt me,
as if crushing my bones,
while all day long they say to me,
“Where is your God?”
Why, my soul, are you so dejected?
Why are you in such turmoil?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him,
my Savior and my God” -Psalms 42

As I read Psalms 42 this morning, it just sank in a little more that true praise and worship is a lifestyle and an expression of the heart.

In Psalms 42, the writer is depressed and still proceeds to focus on what God has already done, and not the dark period he’s going through right now. The writer expresses that they have been crying day and night, yet they still chose to praise God. While the world asks him “Where is your God?” he is so founded in God that he doesn’t waiver from his faith, he continues to praise God through the storm.

When I first started my walk with God, I thought everything was going to perfect! No more pain, no more sorrow, no more hurting, and then life happened. My Grandma was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and I felt like the world was crumbling beneath me. I had the choice, to focus on God or to focus on my pain and hurting of watching someone I loved so much suffer. During the struggle of watching her leave us, I cried out to God, I didn’t understand why my Grandmother, out of all people, had to suffer like this. She was such a woman of God and faith. It didn’t make sense. I was angry, confused, and distraught. I began to reflect on how far God had brought me that year. I remembered that he saved my life from suicide, helped me battle addictions, told me and made me understand I was forgiven, and made me feel loved.

I soon realized the enemies tactics was to bring me back to where I used to be. To show the progress that God had made was a joke and make it seem like it never happened. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” -John 10:10

NOT TODAY SATAN!

My Grandma soon passed, and it was seriously the weirdest thing. I felt joy. I was driving down I-69 and saw a younger her, dressed in a white dress, glowing, and dancing around in circles like a young girl would do in her youth. I knew that going to be with Abba was all she ever hoped for. I felt peace that she was no longer suffering here and was at her true home. God sent me many signs about her being at home with her. Some of them are quite funny. I’ll have to write about them later!

We often think that life should be easier than what it is here, but the truth is, this isn’t our home. We don’t belong here forever. We may suffer here at times, but it brings us to be more like Christ. I do go through things, we all do, but now I just have the strength to do it.

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”-Philippians 3:20 NIV

“I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.”-Philippians 4:13 CSB

When you don’t feel like praising God is really when you should be doing in the most! One thing that has really helped me, is writing down all the blessings and answered prayers that has happened in my life. I even include the little things! We know that every good thing comes from heaven! (James 1:17) So when I have those rough days, I can look back like the Psalmist and see everything he has done for me already. He is faithful and his love is unconditional and unwavering, no matter the circumstance or what you may have done. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”-Hebrews 13:8 GNT