May 6, 2020 Devotional 2-"Vulnerable"

You came back! I'm so excited to spend some time in the Word with you again. Grab your Bible and open up to a couple of passages with me. Have your highlighter or favorite pen handy so you can do some underlining or commenting. 3X5 cards are also extremely valuable for being able to continue to meditate on what you learn from scripture throughout the day. Maybe even memorize! Those "light bulb" moments that God gives us are supernatural and you don't want them to pass you by.

Read Psalms 48:1-3;14. Spend some extra time reading verse 3 and meditating there.

Read Proverbs 18:10, Psalms 18:1-6

Psalm 48

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise,
in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
Beautiful in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion,
the city of the Great King.

God is in her citadels;
he has shown himself to be her fortress.

For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide even to the end.

Psalm 18

I love you, Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.
The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.

Proverbs 18:10

The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.

I know how much some women are like me and are just swimming around in their "feels", so let me start by asking you a question.  When you read the above passages, what is the emotion that they cultivate?  (Let me know in the comments)  Everyone may be different but I believe that everyone would be able to say that those verses made them feel SOMETHING.  You might have to re-read them if you are a bit "numb" in your emotions or are tired.  Take your time!

For me, there are some keywords in those passages that immediately make me feel safe.  Protected.  Frankly, less vulnerable!

I hate being so vulnerable.  I am a certified HSP.  That is defined as a "highly sensitive person" and so I'm really, really in my "feels" a lot!  It's mostly terrible but generally makes me a very compassionate friend!

Because of the nature of my personality, I feel very scared and unsafe a lot.  Not scared of violence or harm or even uncertain death....mostly terrified of the death arrows of "words".  Words are powerful, right?  Life and death are in the power of them.  They can build up or they can seriously tear down.  They are often abused in our lives.  

If you don't know my mother, you should meet her.  She's an interesting lady.  She will cry at the drop of a hat-but that woman will fight to the death about right or wrong.  She's very black and white and it has been good for me.  Her famous last words are..."Sis, I just don't really care what people are thinking about me!"

When she says those words to me, I seriously begin to wonder if I was switched at birth at the hospital!  We could not be more opposite in this area.

I do care.  I don't want to have hurt someone.  I want them to like me.  I want them to be ok with our relationship and I know that this desire can be very sinful when the focus is not on pleasing my God more than man.  SO, I set my thinking straight and I press on through life but even then...

I feel terribly vulnerable. 
What about you, friend?  When do you feel the most vulnerable?

That's why I love the idea that God is a fortress to us.  

That word "fortress" might not mean as much to us today as it did to the people of the Bible.  Fortresses were everything centuries ago!  If you didn't have one or weren't behind/in one-you were toast!  They needed a wall that was high, thick and fully encompassing their habitation or they could be taken of guard and be destroyed.

I can imagine a fortress but I like to think of it in my layman's terms....

"God is a panic room for us."

You get that, right?  I'd love to have one of those panic rooms in my house that I could run into and just find that nothing or no one could hurt me.  It would have soft furniture and smell pretty!  There would be plenty of snacks.  But most importantly, I would be utterly safe.  I could readily trust that the doors and walls would stand strong against any invasion.  I could have peace.

Do you see from our scripture that God is not only a fortress...He works to prove Himself to be one!

God is in her citadels;

he has shown himself to be her fortress. 

He not only wants to compel you to believe that you can run to Him and find all the benefits of a fortress or panic room, He wants to show you that He's been that secure place through all of your life!  When you talk to others about God, He wants you to exclaim about who He is...."God?  Oh girl, let me tell you about MY GOD!  He's a fortress God.  He's a panic room God!  He's all about making you feel safe and at peace in times of turbulence."

But how will you be able to truly share that from the heart if you never try Him out?

Today, as you face whatever uncertainty makes you feel vulnerable, don't try to come to peace by watching the news.  Leave Dr. Phil and Oprah behind.  Don't just call your best friend with hopes of a good vent.  Please, don't clam up and crawl into bed.  Get up!  Grab your Bible.  Hit your knees and I promise you- you will wake up behind the walls of an eternal fortress built for you out of the truest love!  

Keep at it, Sisters!  He's worth it!

Charity