Stay Where I Can See You

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ummer was always a wonderful time for me as a kid.  There was no school, I could go barefoot all day, I didn’t have to worry about doing homework, and I could see my friends anytime I wished.  In addition, summer was a time for vacations and that sometimes meant a trip to the beach! 

North Carolina has some of the most beautiful and tranquil beaches I’ve ever visited.  The sand is white, there is plenty of room to stretch out, and the beach goes on and on forever.  When I visit the beach now, I love to sit and watch the waves and listen to them thunder as the crash onto the shore.  I find this to be so relaxing and all the cares of this life just melt away and time stands still.

But as a little boy, the last thing I wanted to do was to sit on the beach.  I wanted to get into the water and play. My brother and I would play in the sand, dig holes, make tunnels, build castles, and fill our pails with seashells.  When we asked permission to take our rafts into the surf, my mom would give us permission, followed by a stern command, “Stay where I can see you!”

We would take our rafts into the surf and ride waves up on the shore.  Each time I landed on the sand, I would look up to make sure mom could see me and that I could see her.  The current would carry us down the beach so every once in a while we would look up, find mom and dad, walk back up the beach, and continue riding waves.  But we always stayed where mom could see us and where we could see her.  Losing sight of her meant we would be lost and then anything could happen.

There is a similar story in the book of Exodus.  The children of Israel were also surrounded by sand.  However, this was the sand of the desert with no water and no ocean in sight.  They weren’t building sandcastles either!  Instead, they were following God as He led them toward the Promised Land.  They carried with them the tabernacle, a portable temple used to worship God.  When they stopped to rest, they would set up the tabernacle and the pillar of cloud stationed itself over the tent.  God’s glory filled the tabernacle and as long as the cloud remained there, the people rested.

Moses records this for us in the very last verses of Exodus. There is a wonderful lesson of hope and encouragement neatly nestled in this passage of scripture. “So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels” (Exodus 40:38). Two great truths jump out at us from this one small verse.  First, the cloud of the Lord remained over the tabernacle by day and there was fire in the cloud at night.  God’s presence was always visible and it never left the people. God meant for His people to know that He was with them, day and night, constantly leading, guiding, and watching over them. 

Second, God’s presence remained in sight during all their travels.  God did not appear every other day and twice on Sunday.  He didn’t pop in for a visit every once in a while.  No!  God went everywhere His people went and He remained in full view of them all.  The people never wondered where God was or if He had forgotten them or abandoned them.  All they had to do was lift their eyes toward the tabernacle and see His presence.  He wanted to dwell with His people, to commune with them, to lead, to guide, and to protect them.

This is also true today.  True, God no longer appears in a pillar of cloud by day or a pillar of fire by night but His presence is always with us.  No matter where we go, no matter what we do, no matter how desperate or foreboding our situation may be, God is there.  His presence speaks to our hearts, we see Him working in our lives, and we know that He still leads us just as He led Moses and the people all those years ago. 

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f you are going through a lonely place, if you feel that you have been deserted, if your life feels more like a desert than a beach, take courage!  God led His people in the desert and when they set up a place of worship, His glory filled it and His presence was there, all the time and in full view.  The same is true today.  No matter our circumstances we must follow my mom’s advice.  We must hear God say to us from the desert floor of life, “Stay where I can see you!”   Can you see God today? 

A Strong Tower

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everal years ago, before coming to seminary, I was visiting the local Christian bookstore in my hometown.  Now, I love bookstores and can spend hours, just browsing and looking without spending anything.  There is just a wonderful feeling about looking at different books and thumbing through them without anyone placing pressure on you to buy something.  I could spend literally hours doing this, and if I'm not careful, that is exactly what I end up doing.

However, on this particular day, it wasn't the books, the cards, or music which caught my eye.  As I was leaving the store, I saw a rather large poster hanging on the wall and that poster grabbed my attention. 

The poster was made up of three different pictures taken in succession.  The subject of the poster was a large lighthouse, located off the coast of France.    The series of photographs depicted a large wave forming around the lighthouse.  The first picture showed the wave's formation, the second picture showed the wave striking the lighthouse, and the third photograph showed the lighthouse after the wave had passed by.

The wave was enormous; however, what captured and riveted my attention was the image of a man standing at the door of the lighthouse.   There he was, as this huge wave struck the lighthouse, with a cup of coffee in his hand and a smile on his face.  Never have I seen a better picture of confidence and faith than this man displayed.  He was not afraid or worried and he showed no signs of panic as the wave struck the lighthouse.

Looking at this picture, I noticed a small plaque bearing a single verse of scripture.  The caption

came from Proverbs 18:10 and read, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe."  The scripture verse was a perfect match to the poster.  The gentleman in the lighthouse was not worried in the least.  He knew the lighthouse structure was sound, he knew it could withstand the large swells and waves of the ocean, and he had complete faith that the lighthouse would protect him. 

The symbol of his confidence was the coffee cup.  Instead of worrying about the wave and the storm that produced it, this man made himself at home in the storm.  He poured himself a cup of coffee, and settled in for a quiet evening at home.  The storm was on the outside of the tower, not on the inside.

What a marvelous picture of God!  Like the man in the poster, we are to have complete and utter confidence in our God.  No storm that arises, no winds that blow, and no waves from life's sea can shake the strong tower of our God.  He is our refuge, our hiding place, our security, our safety, and our comfort.  During the most difficult times of our lives, who among us has ever experienced anything but God's strength and comfort?

God, like that lighthouse, provides shelter and comfort for us.  The storms of life will come, the waves of adversity will beat against the tower, the winds will howl against it, but the tower of God's strength will never crumble and it will never fall.

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y prayer for you today is that you will learn what it means to call upon the name of the Lord; to know that he is your strong tower and that you are safe in him.   May you rest peacefully in God’s strength today!

Covered Parking

 Carp's Daily Tidbits

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:2

Date: Friday, February 20, 2015

Today's Title: Covered Parking 

Today's Scripture: Psalm 91:1-2

Searching for an apartment complex in which to live proved to be both an enjoyable and a somewhat daunting task.  After spending five years in the men’s’ dorm at Southwestern Seminary, I was ready to have a place of my own with just a little more room to maneuver than my existing arrangement.  I began flipping through the newspapers, real estate magazines, and catalogs just to see what the area offered.  I got in my car and drover around town trying to decide what areas I liked and disliked.

Finally, I settled on an area of town and I began earnestly looking for apartments that had the features I desired within the price range I could afford.  Someone told me about several sites on the Internet that would prove beneficial so I began surfing the web, searching for that perfect apartment.  After several weeks of looking through ads, visiting apartment complexes, and listening to several PR pitches, I came across the complex where I currently live.

The location was perfect, the apartment had all the things I was searching for and the price was right on target.  In addition to all the things I was looking for in a home, the complex had one other feature which really peaked my interest.  Over 95% of the parking spaces in the complex were covered and the price of this parking was included in my monthly rent.  Most other complexes provided covered parking at an additional charge but this complex didn't charge extra for it and that was the deciding factor.

Now, I didn't have to worry about my car during bad weather.  The hailstorms here in Fort Worth did no damage to my car. In fact, no hail hit the car because it was safely parked underneath the shelter.  In bad weather, the car was safe. When it rained, the car didn't get wet. When it was windy, there was very little danger of something falling and hitting my car, and during the summer months the car remained cool because the sun’s rays didn't penetrate the covered area.  As long as the car remained underneath the shelter, it was safe and protected.  This was a great comfort to me and gave me one less thing to worry about.

Did you know that the Bible speaks very clearly about God providing shelter for those who trust Him?  In fact, the Scriptures state categorically that God, Himself, serves to shelter all those who know Him as their Heavenly Father and who have placed their hope and their trust in Him.  Psalm 91:1-2 reminds us of this wonderful truth, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Notice the words the psalmist uses to describe God.  His is a shelter, He is a shadow, He is a refuge, and He is a fortress.  The shelter and the shadow provide rest and safety from the elements of heat, wind, rain, and snow.  To hide or rest in a shadow means that you are hiding or resting in the shadow of something that is bigger and stronger than you are.  Not only is there rest in the shadow, there is also peace and contentment.

But God is also a refuge and a fortress.  The refuge is a place you go to escape your enemies and in the Christian life we have our share.  The enemies of doubt, fear, worry, anxiety, as well as all forms of temptation and harm have no power over those who take refuge in the Lord.  Moreover, God is a fortress, an impenetrable stronghold that safely and securely protects all those who place their trust in Him. There is, however, a part that we play in this relationship.  If we are to enjoy the peace and cool of the shadow, if we are to escape from our enemies and experience the safety of the refuge and the fortress, we must put ourselves in God’s hands. 

The psalmist says that only “he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High” can experience these things.  Dwelling means staying put, setting down roots, to make a permanent residence.  What a wonderful image for us and what a powerful lesson.  When we take God seriously, when we make Him our dwelling place, when we let Him become our protection, our provision, and our sustenance, then we will enjoy all the benefits of covered parking.  Is your life safely and securely parked under the covered parking of God’s protective mercy and grace?