Welcome to Wednesday Wanderings with Dr. Sherri–a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational encounter with Jesus.
PREPARATION: In our last Wandering with Dr. Sherri, we examined Praises at Birth. This week we will examine Born to Hide Me? When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue with Jesus and state: “Jesus, I invite you to help me to leisurely wander into your Presence. Prepare my heart to receive, and illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you.”
PROMISE: Psalm 32:7 Amplified Bible
You are my hiding place; You, Lord, protect me from trouble;
You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance.
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus 1744
By: Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Born thy people to deliver,
Born a child, and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By thine all-sufficient merit
Raise us to thy glorious throne
PARABLE: Hide and seek was not a childhood game I enjoyed. I was not brave enough to venture out into the neighborhood block where we could hide. I did not like running into the base and taking the chance of getting caught. I figured out early that I needed to secure a hiding place. So… I would run towards our backyard as though I was going to hide outdoors. BUT I would stop at the backdoor entrance that we rarely used and hide in the basement. I would go to the laundry room and slightly open the window. That way I could hear when others began to run to base or when the person who was the seeker called out ally ally in come free. This was my secret place. Sometimes, I would get distracted by my Walkman and singing songs and would not come out for several rounds. I found a hiding place that felt safe. There I did not have to reveal my fears. There I could sing and feel at peace.
Though I have grown out of the neighborhood game phase, I learned a lot from hiding seek. I learned that when you feel afraid, seeking safety and deliverance from your fears is an adaptive coping strategy. The childhood game primed my heart to understand that concept of hiding and seeking, seeking and finding, and being found and delivered. King Jesus was born to hide me. His very birth was for the purpose to deliver me from the darkness. He is my hiding place. He keeps me from trouble. He delivers me from the shadows of darkness. He sings songs of deliverance over me. When I feel afraid, I can trust Him. I can hide in the shadow of His Presence. Like Hide and Seek, I realize that there are things in my life that are scary. Focusing on my circumstances can lead me to the dark places of depression and anxiety. There are times I feel like the enemy is seeking me and calling me into home base where he desires to demolish me. I don’t want to take the chance of being caught up in danger. My heart longs for a safe place. So I hide. I seek God’s face. I bathe in His Presence. I play His songs of deliverance. I go to my secret place. The Presence of the throne of the King!
Soul care training exercise: As we experience this advent season, will you take time to ponder the question “How do I utilize the Presence of Jesus as a hiding place?”
- Reflect and let the Holy Spirit reveal to you how the Presence of Jesus is your hiding place? Let it be personal. Perhaps complete the sentence “You are my hiding place. I seek your Presence when…_____________________. I need hidden from…___________________”
- Notice without judgment and with a curious awareness of what comes to your mind. Invite God into your sanctified imagination. Ask Him to bring to your attention what He wants you to know about Jesus being your hiding place.
- Next scan your mind and notice what the Holy Spirit is sharing and bringing to your mind’s awareness.
- Finally, Focus on what you see and hear. Ask the Holy Spirit what you need to know, hear, or do. Expand your thoughts, it may be something you never heard told this way before. With a breath of gratitude, breathe in and breathe out and accept what Jesus is offering to you.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you that you are my hiding place. I’m afraid and I need you. I need to be hidden from my anxious thoughts. Sing over me with songs of deliverance. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to give thanks to God for Jesus being born to deliver you. Then take the mindfulness of Jesus’ Presence in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.
Take five minutes to listen to the Hiding Place guided meditation.
Until next time, be Resonant.
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Image attributions: Text art app with words added
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