1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're glad to have you 3 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 2: listening with us. Today's topic is on finding refuge and 4 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:21,760 Speaker 2: peace in God's protective embrace. We'll return with a devotional 5 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:37,960 Speaker 2: after a brief message from our sponsors, encased by the 6 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 2: Father's Love, written and read by Jennifer Slattery. You hem 7 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 2: me in behind and before, and you lay your hand 8 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 2: upon me, Psalm one thirty nine, verse five. This has 9 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 2: been an unsettling and confusing season where I've questioned my 10 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 2: perspective and the path forward in a highly consequential area. 11 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 2: I know God is watching over and blessing me, but 12 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:06,039 Speaker 2: my emotions don't always align with what I know is true. 13 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:09,479 Speaker 2: Sometimes at night, when I'm trying to sleep, the stress 14 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:13,319 Speaker 2: and unknowns of this situation pull me into an anxious spiral. 15 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 2: In that space, there's a part of me that fears 16 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 2: getting pulled into the devil's deception, in part because I 17 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 2: recognize how easy it is to convince myself that following 18 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:27,959 Speaker 2: my preferences is God's leading. That's a dangerous place to be. 19 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 2: It leaves me vulnerable to the enemy's schemes. Yet today's 20 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:34,679 Speaker 2: verse reminds me that I'm well protected by the one 21 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 2: who knows me, remains with me, and shields me from 22 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 2: what Scripture calls the devil's flaming arrows lies. He aims 23 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 2: at my soul to draw me away from Christ and 24 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:47,080 Speaker 2: his life giving truth. David, ancient Israel's second king, who 25 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 2: wrote the passage from which today's verse comes, understood how 26 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 2: it feels to find yourself under attack by the devil 27 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 2: and those he uses to carry out as well. For 28 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 2: over a decade, he lived as a fugitive, hiding in 29 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 2: case and even in Philistine territory for fear of death. 30 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 2: During that season, numerous people betrayed him, and he often 31 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:11,119 Speaker 2: felt alone and as if no one cared about him. 32 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:15,639 Speaker 2: Those were the statements his emotions made when life felt hard, 33 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 2: exhausting and his situation uncertain. But even when his heart 34 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:24,799 Speaker 2: cried out for relief, he recalled truth. He knew how 35 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 2: to preach to his soul, a practice we see in 36 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 2: many of the poetic prayers preserved in scripture. Scholars believe 37 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 2: he wrote Psalm one thirty nine after he'd assumed the 38 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 2: throne and his life became more stable, with a few 39 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 2: bumps along the way. Standing on the other side of 40 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 2: intense suffering, he was able to look back and reflect 41 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 2: upon how God had remained present and faithful each moment 42 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 2: of his life from before he took his first breath. 43 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 2: The Lord didn't guide him from a distance. He came 44 00:02:55,360 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 2: close and surrounded David with his strong, loving and protective presers. 45 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 2: God hemmed David in In the original Hebrew, one could 46 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 2: state today's verse as behind and before you have hedged 47 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 2: me and laid upon me your hand. You may have 48 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:17,080 Speaker 2: heard the phrase a hedge of protection. That analogy likely 49 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:19,840 Speaker 2: came from today's verse, and I wonder if David's statement 50 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 2: came from his experience as a shepherd, where at night 51 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:25,920 Speaker 2: he would have created a literal hedge of thorns and 52 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 2: branches that formed a makeshift pin for the sheep under 53 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:33,960 Speaker 2: his care. For added protection, the shepherd often slept on 54 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:38,080 Speaker 2: the ground, forming a gate with his body intersecting life 55 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 2: and faith. This rich historic imagery, when applied to today's text, 56 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 2: reminds us that the Lord surrounds us like those thorny 57 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 2: branches did sheep. He is our shield, strong tower, fortress, 58 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 2: and defense who hides us in the shadow of his wings. 59 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 2: Another picturesque symbol of his protective stance over his children. 60 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 2: But notice he also places his hand upon us. Whenever 61 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 2: I read this, I'm reminded of how I guided and 62 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 2: protected my daughter when she was learning to walk. She'd 63 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 2: gone from strangle gripping my finger to releasing my hand 64 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 2: and toddling off in exploration. I wanted to give her 65 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 2: as much freedom as developmentally appropriate, while also keeping her 66 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:24,039 Speaker 2: from falling into sharp corners or getting too close to 67 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 2: the stairs. My solution to place a gentle hand on 68 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:31,280 Speaker 2: her head, remaining alert when I needed to direct her 69 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:37,360 Speaker 2: from danger and back to safe exploration. Speaking of sheep, shepherds, 70 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:41,559 Speaker 2: gates and exploration reminds me of Jesus's analogy in John 71 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 2: ten when he said his sheep would go in to 72 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 2: the pen and out to find pasture. His words speak 73 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:51,599 Speaker 2: of freedom and the rhythm of coming into the sheepfold 74 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 2: for the spiritual nourishment and rest we need, then leaving 75 00:04:55,680 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 2: to explore the wide open spaces He's provided. But even 76 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:04,839 Speaker 2: when we exit the pen, we remain well protected. Whether 77 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:07,919 Speaker 2: the threat comes from the devil and his minions, or 78 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:11,839 Speaker 2: some other frightening or dangerous encounter. God hems us in 79 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:16,719 Speaker 2: by his power and love by his very self. This 80 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:19,800 Speaker 2: gives me the peace to follow, knowing I don't have 81 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 2: to remain hypervigilant, scanning the horizon for every possible threat. 82 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 2: I simply need to remain in step with the one 83 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:30,159 Speaker 2: who matches his steps with mine. 84 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:36,839 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to today's devotional. If you liked what 85 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: you heard today, we want to make sure you know 86 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:42,920 Speaker 1: about our sister podcast, your Daily Prayer. When you follow 87 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:46,320 Speaker 1: your daily prayer in your favorite podcast app, you'll get 88 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: a brand new prayer and devotional each day, so your 89 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:53,120 Speaker 1: days begin in conversation with God. 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