The Closer to HIM, the More We Grow
I had no idea a week-long mission trip would cause such a stir, but it did. Walk with me backwards in time, a place we enjoy going (most of the time).
- The Time: Summertime, 1980s.
- The Age: My Teenage Years.
- The Purpose: to Conduct Backyard Bible Clubs.
- The Leaders were Present: Loretta & Shirley
- The Gang was formed: Janie, Jeanette, and me (although there was another teen whose name has now escaped me).
- The Church: Alton Baptist located in mid-Ohio.
- The Melody: “El Shaddai” by Amy Grant
“One who dwells in the shelter
(Psalm 91: 1-2 NASB)
of the Most High
Will lodge in the shadow
of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, “My
refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”
There are moments of our past that resonate with us, moments we cannot undo even if we tried. With some moments, they could produce fears, hinderances, and struggles to overcome; yet with other moments, they produce growth, trust, and fortitude. That summer of my life produced the second type of moment. Three years ago, I came face-to-face with that summer (all over again) when I stepped away from a career I dearly loved to pursue one unknown to me and one I was not even sure if I could do. As I stepped forward, I found to my delight that I also stepped backward in time too. THAT’S GOD!
As a longtime employee, I knew many names of individuals who were important to the institution where I taught high school English.
As a new employee, I knew only one name when I began this new path of teaching. That summer (three years ago), I was introduced to new individuals who were important to the institution where I would now teach college English. Immediately, I felt more at ease because who would I meet but my mission-partner Jeanette. Right then, Right there, I was transported backward in time to my teenage years, to a place where I knew God was at work in my life.
“I will say to the LORD, “My
(Psalm 91: 2-4 NASB)
refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!
For it is He who rescues you
from the net of the trapper
And from the deadly plague.
He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you
may take refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and wall.”
When my husband first deployed to the Middle East, he was given a handkerchief to carry, and emblazoned on the material was Psalm 91 in its entirety. It’s easy to see why.
- Verse 5-6—“You will not be afraid of [then he lists four military terrors].”
- Verse 7—“But it [fear] shall not approach you.”
- Verse 8—“You will only look on with your eyes [to see how the LORD works] . . .”
The Closer to HIM, the More We Are Protected.
The Closer to HIM, the More We Grow.
The psalmist continues—
“For you have made the
(Psalm 91: 9-13 NASB)
LORD, my refuge,
The Most High, your dwelling place.
No evil will happen to you,
Nor will any plague come
near your tent.
For He will give His angels
orders concerning you,
To protect you in all your ways.
On their hands they will lift you up,
So that you do not strike your
foot against a stone.
You will walk upon the lion
and cobra,
You will trample the young
lion and the serpent.”
When I met Jeanette face-to-face again and transported backward in time to my teenage years, to a place where I knew God was at work in my life, immediately I felt the presence of God’s hand on my life. I knew 100% that even though anxious about this new placement, I had nothing to really fear because God was at work in my life. Jeanette’s presence was a physical assurance I needed; although a score of years had passed, we connected both in this new place and time as well as in our yesteryear memories.
Amy Grant’s song “El Shaddai” played on the radio that summer back in the 80s, and today, as I studied God’s Word, there God’s sovereignty permeated my present world. God’s ultimate sovereignty gives us the confidence to walk through life knowing we belong to HIM.
“El Shaddai, El Shaddai
El Yonna Adonai
Age to age, You’re still the same
By the power of the name.
El Shaddai, El Shaddai
Erkamka Na Adonai
I will praise and lift you high
El Shaddai.”
El Shaddai”
As a believer and child of God, you live within God’s fortress. God is ALWAYS available! Thus, the more we seek to draw near toward God’s presence, the closer to HIM we strive to be, the More in HIM we grow. We are so blessed!
As Grant sang “El Shaddai,” she sang one of the Hebrew names for God, meaning “God Almighty.” In looking, I found this reference in the Old Testament.
“Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him,
(Genesis 17:1 NASB)
“I am God Almighty;
Walk before Me and be blameless.”
Then as Grant sang, “El Shaddai El Yonna Adonai, Erkamka Na Adonai,” translated, we hear her sing “God Almighty, God in the highest, LORD. We will love You, Oh, LORD.”
Whether the LORD is calling us to take a step of faith, to enter a new mission field, or even to a battle in a foreign land:
- May we sing to the LORD and praise Him. &
- May we walk before Him as His children are called to walk.
Let us continually lean forward, straining toward a closer walk with our LORD.
The psalmist ends his writing penning the very words of God. As we read the words of our Heavenly Father, may we respond to Him with our whole being—
Our Father speaks these words directly to us:
“Because he has loved Me,
(Psalm 91: 14-16 NASB)
I will save him;
I will set him securely on high,
because he has known My name.
He will call upon Me; and
I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
I will satisfy him with a long life,
And show him My salvation.”