"My Hiding Place"

"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in Thee: yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast." (Psalms 57:1) As I think about all the different places that I have hidden, and there have been quite a few, nowhere did I think I was perfectly safe. I remember once when I was about ten or so, I hid under some apartments down the street from my house; not quite sure why I was hiding there, except that it had to do with some fellow classmates looking for me; I think it was part of a game called "Manhunt"; but my point is, even under there I was not perfectly safe. Do you know why that was? Obviously it was a pretty good place to hide, especially if nobody looking for me had flashlights. But I think that it did not feel perfectly safe because I could not remain there; in other words, it was only a temporary shelter, and sooner or later I would need to come out. Only God can give us the refuge that we need; a place of shelter from the storm, that is not confound to a cave, or under a building. There is no safer place to be than under the shadow of God's wings, for our God is mercy! I don't care what you are dealing with, or what kind of a mess your life is in, if you cry out for God's mercy, He will wrap His arms around you, and He will become your refuge from any storm. You have got to believe that is true; no, you have got to own it, as if it so real that you can reach out and touch it! I remember as a child, not much more than twelve or thirteen, I was sitting in a jail cell, and I prayed for God to help me; maybe for about twenty minutes I prayed and wept, asking for God to have mercy upon me; and you know, He gave me peace; so much peace, that I could actually lay down and go to sleep. If God could do that for me then, then what about now, now that I have put my life in His hands, now that I have His Son in my life, and now that I have His Spirit dwelling within me. That really was not a question, it was a statement. This has got to be made real, or it really does not count for anything... "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18-24)