Casandra Martin

Psalm 119:113-120

I don’t know about you, but a hiding place sounds pretty good right now. Sometimes it is just too much. The burdens are too heavy, the fear presses in too strongly, and the voices around me seem too loud. Instead of courage, I have discouragement and despair eating away at my soul. I want to be five again, climb up in my dad’s lap, and let him chase the monsters away. I want him to hug me and tell me everything is going be okay. I want to close my eyes and picture a tomorrow full of hope, light, ease, laughter, and no struggles. Then I open my eyes, and I’m a grown up again. My circumstances stare back at me unblinkingly, the pain forces its way in again, and I feel weak, vulnerable, and alone.

“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.” – Psalm 119:114

The fifteenth stanza of Psalm 119 is a place of refuge. Through His Word, God invites us into the safety of His presence, the strength of His power, and the surety of His faithfulness. Circumstances will rage, people will hurt us, pain and heartache seem to go with the territory. But we have a Father with wide open arms who invites us close, who draws us up next to His heart, and reminds us that in Him everything really is going to be okay. He doesn’t promise no more struggles, but He does promise His strength. He doesn’t promise we won’t be afraid, but He does give us His peace. He doesn’t guarantee a life without pain, but He does promise us a life overflowing with joy. Grace is the best hiding place for my heart.

My Jesus Resolution today is to hide. I don’t have to be brave, have it all figured out, or do it by myself. What I do have to do is let myself be loved, to let myself be held, to surrender to His way, His timing, and His goodness. The world can try, and it will, to poke me out of His arms. But the best place to grow up is in the hiding place I find in my Father’s embrace.