Protection 8 ~ Hem ~ Surround

Hello Everyone!

This is our last post for the series on Protection that we started on January 1

with "Wings".

Others include:

• Shadow of His Wings
• Hedge
• Watches
• Shield
• Refuge
• Shelter

Now today, we finish with "Hem or Surround".

Here are 3 Scriptures:

"For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield."
–Psalm 5:12

"You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." Selah
–Psalm 32:7

"You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me."
Psalm 139:5

Our wonderful Creator starts "hemming" us in, surrounding us with His

protection,the moment we are created in our mother's womb.

Psalm 139 is one of the most beautiful chapters in the Bible regarding God

being All-Knowing and Ever-Present and may I add All-Protecting.

Verse 13 says:

" For You created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother's womb."

"You so guide me with your hand, that I can turn no way, but where you appoint me. "
–The 1599 Geneva Study Bible

"God has set us where we be, and beset (to be covered with) us wherever we be. Behind us there is God recording our sins, or in grace blotting out the remembrance of them; and before us there is God foreknowing all our deeds, and providing for all our wants. We cannot turn back and so escape him, for he is behind; we cannot go forward and out-march him, for he is before. He not only beholds us, but he besets us." (definition in parenthesis is mine)
–Charles Spurgeon

How would it feel to be "hemmed" in with God?

To be surrounded...

To be covered on all sides...

To be enveloped...

in His protection and love?

Would you feel loved?

Would you feel cared for?

Would you feel like you mattered to Him?


At this point, I would like to talk about another type of Protection.

This may seem not to fit....

but stay with me and hopefully you will see that is does.

I read Psalm 23 this last week.

I would like to have a dollar bill

for every time I have read that Psalm...

Now, I am not into prosperity preaching,

I am just using a figure of speech...

But this last week, verse 5 was for me.

I love, love, love it when the Lord does that...

He made me "hover" over that verse and I could not leave it until I knew all that

there was for me to know at this time.

Here it is:

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies."

My mind first went to the word picture of the Old West (really, it did!)

I can see the Indians high up on the tops of the hills or cliffs.

They are sitting there with their war paint on their faces and they are

holding those real long spears with feathers streaming off of them.

They are looking down to the valley below where a caravan of Conestoga

wagons are parked.

The wagons are in a circle and the families are busily.....

preparing their supper in plain view of their enemies!!

They are setting a long wooden table with dishes and dishes of food.

They are watching the fires under the kettles, so they stay hot enough to cook

what is in those great big pots.

They are not looking up to the top of the cliff or hill.

They are at peace, carrying on with their daily tasks at hand.

They are not cowering under the wagons and shaking with fear.

They are not thinking that their world is coming to an end.

They know that they are being protected by an unseen Hand.

They are being covered, surrounded with His care when everything around

them goes wrong.


Here is another different slant on this verse.

Have any of you ever read "A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23"

by W. Phillip Keller?

It was written in 1970.

I highly recommend his books, especially this one.

For verse 5 he says:

"In thinking about this statement, it is well to bear in mind that

(in the summer) the sheep are approaching the high mountain country.

These are known as alplands or tablelands.

So it may be seen that what David referred to as a table was actually the entire

high summer range.

Though these (ranges are) remote and hard to reach, the energetic and aggressive

sheep owner takes the time and trouble to ready them for the arrival of his flocks.

He takes along a supply of salt and minerals to be distributed over the range at

strategic spots for the benefits of the sheep during the summer.

The intelligent, careful manager will also decide well ahead of time where his

camps will be located so the sheep have the best bed grounds.

He will check to see if there are poisonous weeds appearing, and if so,

he will plan his grazing program to avoid them, or take drastic steps to

eradicate them.

The parallel in the Christian life is clear.

To forestall our getting into (deadly) grief of this sort, we need to remember

our Master has been there ahead of us, coping with every situation which

would otherwise undo us."

Our Protector.

He "hems" us in and surrounds us with His care and His love.

Yes, we will have trials and troubles,

but as I said in the last post,

"He shall give us the best of shelter in the worst of danger."

Thank You, Lord for Your hedge of Protection.
Thank You that You care enough about us to watch over us
and to go ahead in our pathway and be our Shield.
You hide us under Your wings,
even in the Shadow of Your wings.
You are our Refuge, our Rock in shaky times.
You are our Shelter in the storm when the "strong
furious sea winds" try to push us down.
Without You we would be "doing life on our own",
standing alone.
Call on Him today to be your Protector and your Provider.
He is able.

Amen.

Debbie G.

Protection 7 ~ Shelter

Hello Everyone!

Please allow me to thank those that reply to this blog.

Some do through the comment link at the bottom of the post.

Some through Facebook or in a card sent to us,

or family members or friends telling us over the phone....

thank you so much.

I appreciate the feedback!

≥≥This post is about "Shelter", the 7th topic in our Protection series.

The word "Shelter" occurs 24 times in 23 verses in the

in the New International Version.

Here are the 6 verses that I wanted to use:

"For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock."
–Psalm 27:5

"In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues."
–Psalm 31:20

"I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm."
–Psalm 55:8

"I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah"
–Psalm 61:4

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."
–Psalm 91:1

"Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor."
–Ecclesiastes 7:12

Of all of these gr8t Scriptures, the one that "stuck" out to me was the first one.

(The last one I thought was very interesting, though...)

Here is Psalm 27:5 in the King James Version:

"For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock." (all italics ~ mine)

The King James Version uses the word "Pavilion" for shelter.

Pavilion comes from the Latin word "Papilio" which means "butterfly; tent."

Can you see the picture of a tent looking like a butterfly?

Maybe like this one:

(i can see it!!)

Hmmmmmm.......

Reminds me of our first post on January 1 for this Protection series.

"Wings"

• Psalm 17:8-9 in The Message Bible:

"Keep Your eye on me; hide me under Your cool wing feathers
from the wicked who are out to get me, from mortal enemies closing in."

Now where I come from...the shelters look kinda like this:

I have had some great memories in shelters like this and

one awful one.

Last year, my husband and I were meeting some families with their

children for a picnic at our local park.

Well...everything was fine when we were driving there.

All of a sudden the sky turned dark and it began to rain.

We thought...we're OK, we are under this shelter house.

Well...those rain drops started coming down harder

and harder

and harder...

Next thing we knew they were coming at us in horizontal lines (Yikes!)

In a flash, we were soaked to our skin!!

The children started crying.

The adults weren't too far from it.

Because we looked out the parking lot a stone's throw away

and we could barely see our cars!!

It was raining that hard!!

That is one event in a shelter house that I will never forget!!

So much for our picnic!!


While doing a search for shelter, I came upon this shelter in

England...

A Majestic Fish Tail Shelter!

Located in England at Blackpool’s newly regenerated South Shore Promenade, the “Rotating Shelter” by Ian McChesney is an 8-meter-tall wind vane that will counter the strong sea winds and shelter the inhabitants sitting at the base. The shelter is finished with resilient “Duplex” stainless steel and stands tall at eight meters. Sitting on a turntable (4-meter diameter) with a built-in damper to control the speed of rotation, the shelter is designed to rotate according to the prevailing wind direction. The radical shelter works around two key elements - the vane, which rotates the structure - and a baffle that protects the occupants from the furious sea wind. The shelter is not just functional in use, but also boasts an artistic design, which bestowed it with the prestigious Civic Trust Award.

"Sitting on a turntable (4-meter diameter) with a built-in damper to control the speed of rotation, the shelter is designed to rotate according to the prevailing wind direction."

God is our shelter.

We live in a rotating, turning, sometimes Tilt-a-World – World.

God is still our shelter when our world experiences some "strong furious sea

wind".

Sometimes we are bent against that strong wind.

Sometimes we fall down when the we can't stand up anymore.

Praise God that He is our "vane and baffle" to get between us and that

wind!!

We may be pushing against that wind, trying for all our might to stand up.

We may be pushed down to the ground...

But God...

But God is our shelter from the storm.

But God is our "hand up" when we are down.

He helps us brush ourselves off and binds our wounds.

He helps us learn from those falls.

We may experience trials and storms in our lives,

But God is our Protector.

Charles Spurgeon says it this way:

"For in the time of trouble, that needy time, that time when others forsake me, he shall hide me in his pavilion: he shall give me the best of shelter in the worst of danger. The royal pavilion was erected in the centre of the army, and around it all the mighty men kept guard at all hours; thus in that divine sovereignty which almighty power is sworn to maintain, the believer peacefully is hidden, hidden not by himself furtively, but by the king, who hospitably entertains him."

He shall give me the best of shelter in the worst of danger.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,

'Til Next Post,

Debbie G.

Protection 6 ~ Refuge

Hello Everyone!

This post on our series about "Protection" is about refuge.

What are the first things that pop into your mind

when you hear the word "refuge"?...

• shelter
• sanctuary
• hide-a-way
• rock
• safe haven
• escape
• stronghold
• retreat
• security

During this snowy season, (I read in online news today, that all 49

states have had snow or a dusting of snow this winter ~ WOW!)

we may have felt as though our home was our refuge.

We snuggled down in our blankets and kept toasty warm.

I've been on Google Images again...

Here is what I found when I typed in "refuge" or "refuge in the storm">>>

(if you look real close...that is a fortress/castle on top of the waterfall...
...interesting...)

(beautiful colors, don't you think?)

(i like the light shining through the windows and the fact that the church...
has no destruction...)

Another form of a refuge could be the enfolding of a loved one's arms around

you in the form of a shelter ~ a comforting hug:

Sometimes I have felt that my car was a refuge, when it was pouring down

rain...

and I was safe and dry inside.

Sometimes our umbrellas could be a kinda-sorta of a form of

a refuge or

a protection:

(the one lone guy doesn't seem to be having fun...)

I had to include this picture.

Have you ever been caught in a down-pour during a picnic?

These poor people are trying to find a refuge:


On a little more serious note,

Susannah Wesley

who lived from 1669 to 1742,

had 19 children, but 9 died as infants. (how horrible that would be to live through.)

She was a very successful mother, with 2 of her children being

Charles and John Wesley.

Charles wrote over 9,000. hymns. He and his brother, John, are largely credited

with the founding of the English Methodist church.

I found a blog which lists the TOP 10 reasons why we should study Susannah's life.

Click here to view the list.

Susannah made her own refuge.

Here is reason #9:

9. Susannah made time to pray.

Susannah Wesley prayed two hours a day. She organized her children so this could be accomplished. She had a system by which they would take care of each other, and this was the root of Methodism. (In the beginning, what distinguished Methodists was their system). John and Charles, as little boys, just watched their mom. If she couldn’t find a room to retreat to, they watched her flip her apron up over her head and pray.

She made her own refuge in amongst the 10 children!

What mentoring...what modeling!

This reminded of something that Andrea, a dear sister-in-the-Lord told me

about the talith or prayer shawl that the Jewish men use as their refuge.




Prayer Closet
TALITH contains two Hebrew words; TAL meaning tent and ITH meaning little. Thus, you have LITTLE TENT. Each man had his own little tent. Six million Jews could not fit into the tent of meeting that was set up in the Old Testament. Therefore, what was given to them was their own private sanctuary where they could meet with God. Each man had one! His Prayer Shawl or Talith. They would pull it up over their head, forming a tent, where they would begin to chant and sing their Hebrew songs, and call upon God. It was intimate, private, and set apart from anyone else -- enabling them to totally focus upon God. This was their prayer closet!

Here is the link for more information regarding the talith.



All of this leads us to the FACT that God is our refuge, a very present help in time of

trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

The word "refuge" appears 93 times in 90 verses in the New International Version!!

W.O.W. ~ that should tell us something!

"But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you." – Psalm 5:11

"The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." – Psalm 9:9

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." – Psalm 18:2

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him." – Psalm 18:30

"Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you." Psalm 25:20

"Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me." Psalm 31:2

"My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge." Psalm 62:7

You may see that the words rock and refuge go together quite often.

Why do you think this is?

The Hebrew word for rock is "tsuwr".

Two of its meanings are strength and strong.

When you need a refuge, you want something or Someone Who is strong.

You don't want some mammy pamby person who will not fight for you,

who will not defend you, who will not stand up for you.

You want a Rock to lean on...somewhere you feel safe.

(this would be a refuge/prayer closet!)

I invite your ideas on the rock/refuge connection.


I know that Jesus is portrayed as our Rock in the Old Testament,

especially in Exodus 17:6 ~


"'I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.' So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel."

This was the foreshadowing of Jesus being struck and beaten before his death

on the cross...

Any other ideas of why refuge and rock are so closely related?


Until the next post,


God is our refuge and God is our strength; a very present help in trouble,


Debbie G.

Protection 5 ~ Shield

Hello Everyone!

Our topic for our series on "Protection" this time, is....

*********SHIELD*********

Here is another Brooklyn Tabernacle video.

Yes, I know that we just had one last posting,

but as the famous baseball manager, Yogi Berra once said

"It's like deja-vu, all over again." (hehehe! :D )

The song is entitled "Thou Oh Lord".

It is based on Psalm 3:1-4, which has our beautiful word in it..."shield"...

Here are the words to view as you watch, if you want to.

^"1Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.

²Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.

³But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

⁴I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah." (Psalm 3:1-4, King James Version)

This word in the Bible, means a lot to me.

The Lord started to urge me in November 1991 to get into His Word

every day...

Up until then, I read my Bible, but I did not make it my

"first-thing-in-the-morning-focused-effort...what-would-I-miss-for-that-day?-

feeling..."

I KNEW without a shadow of doubt that God wanted me to commune with Him

as never before.

And sure enough, that next February 1992, my life was never the same.

God was protecting and preparing me.

What a Savior You Are! (as the song in my sidebar sings about)

During that time of living with the Bible...actually on occasions,

sleeping with the Bible by my side...

the word "Shield" "popped" out at me it seemed,

everywhere I read.

Duh...I finally got clued in (this was all new to me)

that God was trying to tell me something.

A puzzle, if you will, that I needed to meditate on.

Over the years, I have had the meaning of that word "unlayered"

to me. Unlayered, as you would cut open an onion.

This would happen to me, just when I needed that new knowledge.

Here are some of the things I have learned:

• The Lord is our Shield. He is holding up this shield when we are in battle to extinguish the fiery darts of the enemy when he is attacking. Darts of bitterness, darts of unforgiveness, darts of anger. -Ephesians 6:16

• The Lord is our Shield. He goes before us in our pathway of life. Whatever comes to us...goes through Him first!

• The Lord is our Shield. He is our Protector, our Armor-Bearer!

• The Lord is our Shield. He is very close to us, to be able to protect us.
  
  

The word "shield" occurs 51 times in 49 verses in the New International Version.

To view them all click on this link.

The verses start out with:

"After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.'" Genesis 15:1

And they end with:

"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."
Ephesians 6:16

I encourage you to do a Bible Study on this wonderful word.

Take one Scripture per day, or however God leads you;

write it out, look up a commentary and then write down what it means

to you in your own words.

This is a suggestion; there are many different ways to study the Bible.

For more examples, please email me and I would be happy to talk

in more detail.

Here is a picture of a shield and a buckler:




Shields come in all shapes and sizes.

The above picture is the most common.

The round shield is a buckler.

It was used in hand-to-hand combat to ward off the blows of

an opponent's sword. It could also be used to hit the enemy as you would

use a club.

Below is a picture I found on the Web of a painting that a lady did

from a vision from the Lord.

I included her website address below, if you would like to see more of

her work.

Psalms 91:4

“He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” -Psalm 91:4

http://anointedcanvases.com

Also, in my research, I found that some versions of the Bible use the word

"rampart" instead of buckler in Psalm 91:4.

A rampart is a defensive wall of a castle or a walled city.

So you see, the same idea...a defensive wall between you and your enemy.

Here is a picture of a rampart:

“He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” -Psalm 91:4

The image suggests not only the thought of protection but those of fostering, downy warmth, peaceful proximity to a heart that throbs with parental love.

(author unknown)

From the perspective of the protected, God is warm and tender; from the vantage point of the attacker, God is as strong as steel.

From:

http://bible.org/seriespage/psalm-91-psalm-safety

W.O.W.....

I like that last statement...strong as steel!

That's what I am talkin' about!!

Please enjoy another wonderful CBN video of God's Divine Protection:

Dear Lord,

How can we even begin to thank You

for being our Protector?

Only in heaven will we know the full

extent of Your protection.

Yes, we have troubles and trials,

but You go in the pathway before us...

You are our Armor-Bearer,

You are our Shield!

Thanking Him today,

Debbie G.

Protection 4 ~ Watches

Hello Everyone!

In this posting for our series on "Protection"

we are looking at the word "watches".

Below are some verses that contain the word "watches" in the

New International Version:

"For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."
–Psalm 1:6

"From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth."
–Psalm 33:13-14

"He will not let your foot slip– He who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you– the Lord is your shade at your right hand;"
–Psalm 121:3-5

(The italics are mine.)

We are going to focus

on Psalm 121.

This is one of my all time favorite Psalms EVER!!

I think I have mentioned this before, but my 6th grade teacher

at Webb Elementary School in Rushville, IN ~

Mr. Marshall Axom, made

us memorized this in the King James Version!

It has always had a special place in my heart.

Here it is in full in the King James Version:

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
My help [cometh] from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD [is] thy keeper: the LORD [is] thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore."

Here is a video done on Psalm 121. Thank you Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir ~ you are one of the all-time BEST!!


>>Where does our help come from?

>>Where does ALL our help come from?

>>Our help comes from the Lord ~ AMEN!!

Under the title of this Psalm, in my New International Version Bible

it shows "A song of ascents".

Each Psalm from 120 through 134 carries this title.

This word, "ascents" could be interpreted as "steps".

Here are 4 ways these Psalms could have been used:

><> These Psalms build form the first verse to the last in a step-like progression.

><> These Psalms are a starting point from which the Psalms will be sung.
The actual steps of the sanctuary leading up to the Court of the Men are understood by many as those steps upon which the Psalms will be sung.

><>These Psalms were designed to be sung by the Children Of Israel as they ascended the hills of Judea en route to the Holy City after they have been released from Babylonian captivity.

><> These Psalms were sung on any occasion that drew the Israelites to go up to Jerusalem or to the Holy Place; for they were joyous occasions that would necessitate the singing of songs.

(ref. 1)

Verse 1 ~ "A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from?"
Verse 2 ~ "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."

The meaning of verse 1 is not clear. Perhaps the meaning could be:

†† "If I lift up mine eyes to the hills" so as to participate in the idolatrous
worship which was prevalent in the hillsides of Judea.

†† "Shall I lift up mine eyes to the hills?" Many significant events in the life of of Israel and her forefathers took place on the mountains.

The Psalmist (this Psalm's authorship is unknown) has resolved that his help does

not come from the hills themselves; but...

"My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."

The Message Bible states it this way:

"I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven and earth and mountains."

Here is a 54 (!) picture slide show of the hills surrounding Jerusalem. They

were taken from a train, traveling from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.

Jerusalem Hillsides

Psalm 125:2 (NASB)

"As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

So the Lord surrounds His people

From this time forth and forever."

I have always thought that verse one and two just means that I look

upward or heavenwardly. (is that a word?)

Verse 3 ~ "He will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber;"
Verse 4 ~ "indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."

The sliding of the foot is a frequent description of misfortune...

and a very natural one in mountainous Canaan, where a single slip of the foot was

often attended with great danger.

The Lord God puts a garrison (or a hedge...see previous post!)

around us with His holy angels, so that even while we sleep, we are confident

of protection because He never sleeps.

The attacks of Satan never catch our God off guard!!!

(ref.1)

(Praise God!)

Verse 5 ~ "The Lord watches over you-- the Lord is your shade at your right hand;"
Verse 6 ~ "the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night."

The word shade literally means a shadow.

This is a description of the protection we receive when we

"abide under the shadow of the Almighty". (Psalm 91:1)

(ref. 1)

Just as everywhere we go our shadow goes with us, so too God "shadows" us at all

times and in all circumstances.

(ref. 2)

"At your right hand" David proclaims "I have set the LORD continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." Psalm 16:8

Is it just me, but I often wondered why the RIGHT hand and not the left....

What do you think?

Here's what I have come up with...if you know anything else, plz comment.

∆ The right hand means power

∆ The right hand means prominence or favored position

∆ The right side means to occupy a position of recognition and prestige

∆ The right hand portrays an image of intense strength

(Please know that I am not slighting you wonderful left-handed people out there!)

Verse 7 ~ "The Lord will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life; "
Verse 8 ~ "the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."

Jehovah promises to preserve our movements, from morning to evening,

from infancy to old age, from this time for and even for evermore!

Now...please allow me to reiterate that God is our Protector...

but things will happen to us, but they go through Him first and

He is not surprised or worried about our situation.

Please enjoy another CBN video which illustrates this:

Thankful for His watchful eye,

Debbie G.

ref. 1: The KJV Parallel Bible Commentary by Nelson Publishers
ref. 2: link

Protection 3 ~ Hedge

Hello Everyone!

Our next topic on the subject "Protection" is...Hedge.

For a list of all of our topics, please refer to "Protection 1"

in the archives on the sidebar.

Hedge.

What do you think of when you hear that word?

Here is a picture of a gigantic, humongous hedge that I found online:

It is beauuutiful, isn't it?

Here are our Scriptures for this week:

"Have you not put a hedge
around him and his household and
everything he has?
You have blessed the work of his hands,
so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land."
-Job 1:10


"Now I will tell you
what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
and it will be destroyed;
I will break down its wall,
and it will be trampled."
-Isaiah 5:5


"The best of them is like a brier,
the most upright worse than a thorn hedge.
The day of your watchmen has come,
the day God visits you.
Now is the time of their confusion."
-Micah 7:4

Here's a rousing rendition of "Jesus Be A Fence" by Fred Hammond.

This song has been around for a while, because my brother, Delton

in the 1970's sang this song when he was a member of the Calvary Four Quartet.

I've always liked it for its upbeat-uplifting words of comfort and remembering that

Jesus is our Protector.

Here goes...hold onto your hats, while you dance around the kitchen!! :D




Weeeeee!!

W.O.W.

Now that our blood is really pumping,

let's continue!!!

The word "hedge" is used 3 times in the New International Version Bible

and 9 times in the King James Version Bible.

Somethings I read in my research, rather put down this idea of praying for

a "hedge of protection".

But as we can see, it IS Scriptural.

There are two ways that we are going with this topic:

1. The hedge is a shadow of things to come, in the Old Testament, of Jesus.

He is our Protector.

He surrounds us with His love and care.

Not saying that bad things won't happen to us, because they do!

But He is the Great Shepherd, carefully watching over us.

In John 10:1-4 it says...

¹"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ²The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. ³The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice."

This is a commentary that I found online here that speaks of

Jesus as the Door and the Great Shepherd:

" V. 6-8 His Personality - In these verses, Jesus reveals His identity as the Door. If you will remember, there was only one opening going into or out of the sheepfold. It was in this opening that the shepherd lay. Therefore, the shepherd himself became the door of the sheep. Nothing could enter the fold, nothing could exit the fold without going through the shepherd himself."

The following are 2 pictures that I found of sheep folds:

I found out that the shepherds built them about about 5 feet in

height and:

"At night, animals were kept in a sheep-fold - an enclosure with a circular stone wall and one small entrance, just wide enough for one animal to pass through. At night, when the animals were inside the enclosure, the shepherd was expected to sleep lying across the entrance, his body providing a gate for the enclosure so that nothing could get in or out."

This last paragraph was found at this link under "The Shepherd" section.

So what I am trying to say is that:

Nothing gets to us that doesn't go through our Savior first!!

He is our Protector, our Great Shepherd and The Door to our salvation!

Praise God!

2. In my devotions this morning, I came across, again, the story of Hezekiah

in 2 Kings 18 and 19.

Hezekiah was the King of Judah, a small kingdom.

King Sennacherib of Assyria sent 185,000. men to surround and

conquer Jerusalem.

Here is an artist's picture of what they think Jerusalem looked like in the

8th century based upon recent archaeologist's finds.

Long story, short...Hezekiah did not know what to do,

so he went to the Lord in prayer.

He spread out before the Lord, a threatening letter that was sent to him

by the enemy.

God answered the King through the prophet Isaiah and basically

said that not one arrow would enter Jerusalem and that the Lord

would defend the city.

The next morning, when the city awoke, they looked out and saw that the

WHOLE enemy army lay dead!!

185,000. men! And they did not have to do ONE thing!

Talk about a hedge of protection....shuweeee!!

2 Kings 19:35-

"That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a 185,000.

men in the Assyrian camp..."

In my Study Bible, Life in the Spirit Bible (or original name was Full Life

Study Bible) Bro. Stamps says in his commentary:

"Judah's miraculous deliverance from the Assyrians is one of the great redemptive moments in OT history, recorded no less than three time in Scripture.

• 2 Kings 19:35-36
• 2 Chronicles 32:21-22
• Isaiah 37:36
  

The most powerful political kingdom on earth stood against the little nation of Judah. When defeat seemed inevitable, God intervened and delivered his people. In mercy God showed his willingness to renew the covenant and to be Judah's God and Protector if the people would place their trust in Him."

As we close, here is another CBN video regarding

"Divine Protection"...

Thank You Lord, for Your Divine Protection.

I pray a hedge of protection around my family and friends.

Thank You for how you have helped us in the past

and I KNOW You will continue in the future.

AMEN.

Debbie G.

Protection 2 ~ Shadow of His Wings

Hello Everyone!

Our subject in Part Two of our "Protection" series is

"In the Shadow of His Wings".

Here are two pictures I found online re: this subject:

<sup>And here is an old hymn using our subject.

I have been raised in the church, but I do not know this one.

Has anyone heard this one before?

Here is the link to hear the song played and more info.

Lyrics:</sup>

Under His wings I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.

Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.

Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.

How true is the line I highlighted in red....

Here's an adorable video I could not pass up:

Psalm 91:1-4
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

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





Another Scripture:

"Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings," (Psalm 17:8, New King James Version)

Warren Wiersbe says here in his devotional entitled:

"Hymns and Psalms: Hear Me, Hold Me, Hide Me"

(isn't that a great phrase??!!)

for "Back to the Bible" re: Ps. 17:1-5...

"David wasn't simply standing still, doing nothing. He was on the move. When we're in the darkness, we move one step at a time as the Lord directs us. We don't just sit still and wonder what is going to happen next. David was saying, 'God, I'm going to get moving. You've got to hold me up. Direct me; I don't want to slip and fall'. Jude must have known this verse. He wrote, 'Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.'" (Jude 1:24).

This reminded me of someone saying that if you feel as though you

are walking around in the dark, stumbling into things, hitting your head,

stubbing your toe or smashing your nose...

and you have done everything you know to do Biblically

in your situation...

you ARE in the dark

you ARE in the shadow of His wings.

He is holding you close to His side!

The second portion of his devotional that I liked was:

"The third word is hide. 'Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings' (Ps. 17:8). A shadow is not good protection. But if it's the shadow of God's wings, we can depend on it. What wings did David refer to? The wings of the cherubim in the Holy of Holies. David was saying, 'I'm coming to the very throne of God. Please hide me and hold me and hear me.' God replied, 'David, I'll do it. I'm going to carry you through your dark time'".

This brings another viewpoint:

Hide me in Your Presence...

In between the wings of the cherubims on top of the Ark of the Covenant,

resided the Presence of God in the Tabernacle in the Wilderness

in Exodus 25:9-22.

For more information regarding the Ark of the Covenant

click here.

Two more Scriptures about the Shadow of Your wings:

"How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!

Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings." (Psalm 36:7, New King James Version)

"Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice." (Psalm 63:7, New King James Version)


I especially like the last line in Psalm 63:7.

I.will.rejoice.

Am I rejoicing in the shadow of His wings?

Am I singing and worshiping God in the good times and the bad?

Am I trusting God so much as my Source, that I can forget

my concerns and praise Him all day long?

Am I hiding myself in His Presence, because that is where I belong?

My prayer is that we all find His Presence in our lives

and REST in it.

Here is one more video I think you will enjoy...




<sup>Staying under His wing,

Debbie G.</sup>

Protection 1 ~ Eagles ~ Wings

Hello Everyone!

I am excited to begin our new series on "Protection"!!!!!!!!!!!!

God's protection.

This Bible Study was put on my heart to do at the end of 2008;

the last few days in December and the first few days of January 2009.

My sweet husband was in Detroit, visiting family.

(At that time, I did not have paid days off...now I do TTL!)

I was unable to join him because we needed for me to work.

He was on Christmas break from being a substitute school teacher

here in Williamson County, TN.

Anywho....I was alone.

I am USUALLY pretty comfortable in this situation.

I found myself needing a new theme, book or new Bible Study

to do. I had been studying Philippians for this blog,

but must confess to allowing my "personal" time with God

lacking, because I felt that I was getting the Word of God in me.

I knew better and God convicted me and gave me that "sweet

urging" in my spirit that I needed to get back to doing both studies

and time with Him.

So.........I asked the Lord what He wanted me to study.

Have you ever done that?

It is so exciting to do that and get the answer and see the results.....!!!!!!!

He told me "Protection".....

Some of you may be saying, "I wish I could hear from God like that".

I am NOT bragging on myself, because I will be the first to tell you

that the Creator of the Universe WILL SPEAK to your spirit.....

IF, IF, IF you will QUIET yourself before Him and LISTEN!!

He is no respecter of persons, Romans 2:11

In my new Holman Illustrated Study Bible, Christian Standard Bible

Version (shewwww..!)

...that I had just received for Christmas...

the chapter headings for the Psalms were entitled in a way

that I had never seen before.

I found 8 Psalms that had the word "Protection" in the title.

This lead me to study those Psalms, as we will do over the course

of time in this series.

The 8 Protection Psalms that this Bible had labeled are:

• Psalms 17 • Psalms 64
  
• Psalms 31 • Psalms 91 ~ (oh yeah...)
• Psalms 56 • Psalms 121 ~ (one of my personal favorites)
  
• Psalms 57 • Psalms 141

I am sure that there are others that could be labeled as a

"Protection" Psalm, but these are the 8 that were burned into

my heart, mind and soul...

In those Psalms, I kept coming across words that correlated

with the word "Protection" and here they are:

• Shadow
• Wings (Eagle's Wings)
• Hedge
• Hem
• Watch/Watches
• Refuge
• Shelter
• Shield

For my first post in this series, I am going to talk about....

Wings and Eagles.....

If any of you have ever heard or read Joyce Meyer's teaching

on the characteristics of eagles, you know that it "dovetails"

(pun intended) with the characteristics of how to be a positive

Christian.

I was wanting more of a spin on that teaching to include

how God protects us. It is a great message, though and I highly re-

commend it!

Here is a video of Joyce teaching on part of the series:




Here is where you can purchase her series.

As far as I can tell, it is out of print.

If someone knows differently, please advise us!

Here is another wonderful, fact-filled article about eagles.

The most well known Scripture about eagles IWDTS

(I Would Dare To Say).....is

Isaiah 40:31 (King James Version)...

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not

be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

I really appreciate this Scripture, but to me it is more about

renewed strength, rather than protection,

unless you really dwell on the last 3 words.

In researching for "eagle/s" and "wing/s" in the Bible,

I typed the words in the search box at

www.blueletterbible.org and found that there are:

• 28 instances for eagle/s
• 89 instances for wing/s
  

(In the New International Version.)

Don't worry

we will not be looking up every 117 verses! :D

Four verses "jumped" out at me:

• Psalm 17:8-9 in The Message Bible:

"Keep Your eye on me; hide me under Your cool wing feathers
from the wicked who are out to get me, from mortal enemies closing in."

AND

• Exodus 19:4 in The Holman Christian Standard Bible:

"You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to Me."

AND

Deuteronomy 32:11 New International Version

"...like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions."

I don't know about you, but I didn't know what a "pinion" was.

Here what my computer dictionary said:

"Outer part of the bird wing, including the flight feathers."

Well...aren't all the feathers on the wing a "flight feather"?

Click here

for a "gr8t" explanation of this pinion/flight feather situation.

(And they say there is no God....)

Here's one excerpt that I could not resist:

"(The primary feathers) are the largest of the flight feathers and are the farthest away from the body, attached to the skin of the wing on the 'hand'."

hmmm...He catches us when we fall...And He carries us in His hand...!!!

Some commentators say that it is not natural for eagles to carry their

young on their wings or backs.

But here is an eye witness to this feat:

"In his classic work on birds of prey, Arthur Cleveland Bent presented much detailed information about the nesting habits of the golden eagle, Aguila Chrysadtos canadensis (Linnaeus). He reported material derived from an observation published in 'The Condor' as follows:

Dr. Loye Miller (1918) published the following account, as given to him by one of his students:

'Last summer while my father and I were extracting honey at the apiary about a mile southeast of Thatcher School, Ojai, California, we noticed a golden eagle teaching its young one to fly. It was about ten o'clock. The Mother started from the nest in the crags, and roughly handling the young, she allowed him to drop, I should say, about ninety feet, then she would swoop down under him, wings spread, and he would alight on her back. She would soar to the top of the range with him and repeat the process. One time she waited perhaps fifteen minutes between flights, I should say the farthest she let him fall was 150 feet.

My father and I watched this, spellbound, for over an hour. I do not know whether the young one gained confidence by this method or not. A few days later father and I rode to the cliff and out on Overhanging Rock. The eagle's nest was empty.' (Miss F. E. Shuman.)" (1)

(Now...I don't think this is an eagle's wing by any means...

but I just couldn't keep from posting it.

I like the way the light is shining on it.)

"God reveals Himself throughout His Word. Sometimes He shows Himself powerful and mighty. Other times He is a still small voice. But one of the most beautiful and revealing pictures of our Lord is that of the mother Eagle. If we could only live moment by moment in the assurance that God is our Protector and Sustainer, our Power and Strength. Like the mother eagle, God teaches us of His ways. Like the mother eagle, God protects us from all enemies. Like the mother eagle, God nurtures and loves us. May we be always mindful of that love and nurturing." (2)

"God's love and care was shown for Israel already, as He bore you on eagle's wings. It is said that an eagle does not carry her young in her claws like other birds; the young eagles attach themselves to the back of the mother eagle and are protected as they are carried. Any arrow from a hunter must pass through the mother eagle before it could touch the young eagle on her back."(3)

WHOO HOO!!! Talk about protection with a capital "P"!

That reminds me a the word "shield" in all of this...

Nothing can come to me that doesn't pass through the Lord first!!!

Praise the Lord!!

You ARE my Shield and You ARE my Protector!

Allow me to end with this video...Plz enjoy!

(Friendly reminder: click the pause button on

the Playlist on the sidebar to be able to hear

this video.)



Amen!

Lord, help me to rise up as the eagle's wings, know that You are always
my Protector and Shield!

Debbie G.

References:
(1) Science in Christian Perspective
MOSES AND THE EAGLE
FREDERIC R. HOWE* AND GEORGE F. HOWE"
From: JASA 20 (March 1968): 22-24.
(2) http://ll.newsforchristians.com/sermons/sermon027.html
(3) David Guzik Study Guide for Exodus 19 at:
www.blueletterbible.org