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* This is part of SOAP from Moms Tool Box. As Amy says about SOAP, “It is a simple way to read through the Lord’s word, pray and reflect on just what He might be telling you in that passage.” It means this...

*Scripture
*Observation
*Application
*Prayer

*Scripture...

“And the living creatures kept running and returning,like the appearance of a flash of lightning.”(Ezek 1:14 Masoretic Text)
*Observation...

Does that sound like you? Running, returning? Running, returning? Is your day filled with kids’ sports practices or games, errands to run, committee meetings to attend, business meetings or home business functions to attend to, chores to do?

Do you flap your wings of busyness but don’t seem to get anywhere? Do you go in four different directions at once? Do you flit about but miss out on hearing God’s voice?

As I mentioned in a previous post, Are You Full of Dynamite?, a verse of scripture had captured my attention lately. Two other scriptures have also seized my thinking: the opening verse and this one...

“When they stopped, they let down their wings. And every time they stopped, there came a voice from the crystal sky above them.” (Ezek. 1:24b-25 TLB)

Hmmm...when they halted their fluttering, when they stood still and let down their wings, they heard God’s voice.

*Application...

How does that apply it to us?

With unfurled wings, we flap around in frustration. We flit about doing our own thing. We dart sideways in anxiety. If we continuously flutter our wings of busyness, we have no time for the Lord in our schedule. And we will not hear His voice.

Energy is wasted. Time is lost. And eventually, we wear out.

As I searched for an image for this post, I came across the leadership site The Resurgence with an interesting article written by Dave Kraft entitled Busyness is the New Spirituality. While he mainly addresses leaders, his points are applicable to all of us. Three of his four main points state the causes of “bone-deep tiredness”...

* the inability to say no
* the inability to slow down
* the inability to simplify

As I searched further, I came across these interesting items...

* a book Too Busy for Your Own Good
* another book Freedom from Busyness
* an article on Family Life Radio Addicted to Busyness
* a Busyness Survival Kit
* and the book I’m sure you’ve heard of, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World

This must be a growing problem, otherwise, these things would not have been written. The saying is so true: Master time or it will master you.

So, if we do not slow down and hit the delete button on a few things in our lives, we will become bone-tired or even burned out. Jesus took time to slow down and be with the Father, going off to the solitude and serenity of the mountainside or the gardens to pray. He also rested by the well. (You might enjoy reading my post on this entitled Come, Sit by the Well.)

Therefore, we need to let down our fluttering wings. Hush the din of confusion. Rest our harried minds. Get quiet in the presence of the Lord. Let a peaceful calm permeate us. And wait. Wait to hear the Voice of the Ages as He whispers those precious words of love, peace, and comfort to us.

We have the joyous privilege of seeking the face of the Creator of the universe! Does that thrill your soul? If not, it should. It should fill you with praise, gratitude, and thanksgiving that the King of kings is also thrilled to have you sit at His feet and listen to Him, just to spend time in His presence.

Distractions are everywhere. If we allow Him, the Holy Spirit will calm the chaos and bring harmony to our frustrated souls.

If we do the same as Jesus, to sit in stillness and pray, we sit by the well and dip into the Lord’s well to refresh ourselves with those Living Waters. As we sit, we may hear Him whisper to us...

“Do not rush into My presence looking at your watch. The busyness of life derails your attention. Let down the wings of your disquieted and busy spirit. Prepare by being still.

“I do not struggle to fit in with all the other voices of the world. I will not compete for the number one spot in your life. I will be found in quietness and stillness.

“If My people would take time to be with Me, they would hear those words of comfort and guidance for which they so desperately yearn. Be still and know.”

Be still and know. “Stand silent! Know that I am God!” (Ps 46:10a TLB)

Silent rearranged is listen. Do we do either?

Oh, how souls sadly lack when there is no time for the Lord. So much more is accomplished, with so little time expended, when one kneels in prayer...and listens!

“This is My Son, My Chosen One. Listen to Him.” (Luke 9:35 NLT)

Prayer: Lord, help me to make time to be with You, to block out the discord of the world, to still my spirit before I come to sit at Your feet. As I fold down my wings of busyness, I will hear Your sweet words of grace and peace.

Lord, may my time be Yours. And when the world swirls around me, diverting my attention from You, may my heart be drawn back to seek the comfort of Your presence.

May I be silent and listen. Amen!

When the bank is overdrawn and bills pile up…
When kids are sick and doctors’ visits are out of the question…
When relationships fall apart and bring heartache…

…know where I run to hide when all these trials and hurts enter my life with a vengeance? As a child running to the security of its father’s lap, I run right into the shelter of God’s presence, His secret hiding place.

David knew this hiding place so well and wrote of it many times. In the Psalms, he said to God, “Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,” (Ps. 17:8 NKJV). “I shall live forever in Your tabernacle; oh, to be safe beneath the shelter of Your wings!” (Ps. 61:4 TLB)

This reminds me of a story I heard someone tell. It happened years ago when a massive fire overwhelmed the Grand Teton National Park. Afterwards, as several men walked through the ashes, one man saw a charred bird and gently moved it with his foot, only to find, beneath the mother, three living baby birds, all of which immediately hopped off. The mother had protected her precious ones under her wings, bringing them deliverance from the fire, for she gave up her life that they might live to take flight.

God’s overshadowing Presence is the same for us, covering us with His wings of protection and rescuing us from the fires of hell through the exchange of Jesus’ death that we might live to have eternal life.

Psalm 91 is a beautiful example of that secret hiding place in the Lord. Verse 1 says, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." God's secret shelter is like a feathered retreat, a nested refuge. In the first part of verse 4, it says, "With His feathers he will cover you, and under His wings you shall seek refuge." When defined, the meaning of this verse is much richer.

If we reworded it according to its definitions, it might read like this, “Like a mother hen, He will lay the feathers of His wings over you, and cover you with His mantle of protection when you flee to Him for refuge in hope and trust; He will overshadow you, defend you, hedge you in, and stop the approach of the enemy.” How great is that!

As David so aptly put it, “And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by.” (Ps. 57:1 NKJV)

When trials overwhelm you, in what do you take refuge? Where do you hide?

Prayer: Lord, when the waves of life’s circumstances attempt to overwhelm me, I know I can run to You and You will welcome me with open arms, covering me with Your mantle of protection and care. I pray that all those who need to feel Your feathered retreat will do so today. Amen.

~Blessings…Lynn~~