SCRIPTURE: Deuteronomy 33
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. [Deuteronomy 33:27] Moses sings a blessing over each of the tribes, a positive, encouraging prayer of blessing. At the end He paints a word picture of God as a refuge, a safe place, supported by the everlasting arms of God. The image of a lamb being carried on the shoulders of a good shepherd, held secure by his firm grip. Moses uses this image for Benjamin, the youngest son, the smallest tribe: About Benjamin he said: ‘Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.’ [Deuteronomy 33:12]
Do you think of God as over you, around you, under you, with you? Do you feel secure in His everlasting, never-failing grip? He came to us as the Good Shepherd – Jesus – and reaffirmed this message through Him: I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. [John 10:28-29] We need to remind ourselves of this continually. No one is greater than God, He is the greatest, the eternal God. No one can snatch us from His everlasting arms.
I am choosing to memorize this passage today: The eternal God is my refuge, and underneath me are the everlasting arms. [Deuteronomy 33:27]. I have no idea what is coming today, but I do know where I am, Who is with me, and Who is the greatest, the strongest. I begin my day in a good place. Like David I can reflect on the fact that the Lord is my Shepherd, and therefore I will lack nothing. Even if I end up going through a valley today, where the shadow (the fear, the threat) of death (struggle, disappointment, disaster) overwhelms me – yet I will fear no evil. For underneath me are the everlasting arms. No one, nothing at all, can separate me from His love.
Are you starting your day in this good place? Are you finding refuge in the eternal God? Do you sense His hands, His arms, all around you?
PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for this assurance. Nothing can separate me from Your love.
Happiness is . . . living in His presence. In this passage, the Lord showed is presence, His goodness to His people. Another reminder of God is God and He is their Father. God is God and He is my Father. And all fathers want the best for their children, if they just trust and obey, walking in His Way. He is the wind beneath my wings so that I can soar like the eagle. No where am I safer than in His everlasting arms. What a promise! What potential! What happiness!
What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Refrain
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
O how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Refrain
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.