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Sunday Psalm: in the depths

Karla LeesLeave a comment

In the depths
where we hide our hearts
the deep cries are made

In the heights
of Heaven
Your tears at our plight
were great

For You so loved us all
You decided to send
part of Yourself
to meet our need
with the gift of Your son
merged with our DNA

Such depth to Your love

That very same babe
free to be a Rabbi of renown
who spread Your Words of love
as He walked through our towns
speaking peace to our hearts
and life into our hidden places

No matter to You
was too large or too small
You touched each of us
with the greatest Love of all

Such depth to Your Love

Never ending
Your love will go on and on
Forever
Your heart will beat for me
Drawing me out
from where I’ve hidden away
into Your embrace
which restores each day

Such depth to Your Love!

#SundayPsalm

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now covered in Love

Karla LeesLeave a comment

I tend to be a hider by nature.

Which only reinforces what we learned about ourselves in the Garden.

When the going gets tough, we try to hide.

This past week, I had a break through while getting quiet in His Presence one morning.    God revealed to me that i had agreed with a lie in a situation where something was done to me, which i thought had been long ago been put to bed & resolved.

God knew otherwise.

It was a sneaky lie, but one that tied me down in my spirit and hindered my desire to communicate openly.  In fact, it caused me to hide away physically & emotionally as well, and God did not want for me to remain hidden in this way.

God sees it all, the beautiful, the sin, the past, the present, the future.

I had stopped embracing some of how i was made, and settled for a layer of invisibility which covered me in both a fear and a lie at the same time.  It essentially tied part of me to the past in a way which hindered my moving forward into the pastures He is leading me towards.

God called me to trade this cloak in for His covering for me instead.

What a delight to wear a garment custom made for me!

There is a layer of invisibility woven into this must wear clothing too, but one I am so grateful to God He gifts to me.

When I remain in this covering garment, I am safe in His stronghold, my spirit invisible to the enemy’s glance.  I have a love & peace secure in knowing I am with the One who adores me, freed me, restores me, protects me & wants me with Him forever.

He can keep me safe under His wing, essentially causing me to become invisible to all but Him.  He Himself becomes my shield as I trust in Him & wear His cover.

Instead of trying to keep myself hidden out of shame, He keeps me hidden in His heart out of love.

If you too have sin or lies hidden away under layers of invisibility you think God isn’t aware of…..you need to think again.

There is nothing we can hide away that He is unaware of.

There is no place we can go where He won’t meet us there.

There is no lie or sin more powerful than the blood of Jesus!

Today, come out of hiding & hide yourself away in the secret place with Him. Ask Him if there is anything you have layered within you that you may not even be aware of, which needs to come out into the light as He makes the invisible visible. Strip off the lies, be cleansed of the sin. Open yourself to His touch, as He uproots, heals & makes you anew in Him.

Less of me hidden away means more of Him coming alive within me!
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Sunday Psalm: Wherever I Go

Karla LeesLeave a comment

Everywhere I go
I know
You’re not far away
You’re right here,
You’re right here

-Jeremy Camp

I have wasted
so much time
so much effort
trying to hide
to run away from You
in my shame,
to try and cover up
how undone i really am.

It didn’t matter how far I ran
You were there along side me,
offering me quenching water
as I ran the race
which i secretly wanted
to lead me to You
despite my taking off
in the wrong direction.
I missed the subtle detours
You placed along the path
I ran until
I saw You waiting at the
finish line
as You waited
to congratulate me
for making it back
home to You.

It didn’t matter how deep I dove
to try and cover myself
in the very mud of the pit
You had rescued me from
when You found me,
You continued to serenade
Your love song
of longing and freedom
until I couldn’t take the stench
of the pit any longer,
and reached up to take the
outstretched arms
which had been waiting
all along.

It didn’t matter how high I tried to climb on my own,
the landslide of my pride
once broken
slid me straight
into Your embrace.

Everywhere I go,
You are.

When I take my eyes off
the passionate love that glows
for me
in Your eyes,
and tune out
the devotion, freedom and truth
You speak over me
I falter
and lose my way.

Yet everywhere I find myself,
You are waiting for me there.

You will never let go
of Your bride,
for You are the One
who paid such
a costly dowry
to purchase me,
such is Your great love
for me.

My heart pounds,
my spirit leaps in response:

I surrender God.
I embrace You,
and want to join You
everywhere
You are.
Instead of making
You chase after me,
I chose to chase after You
today.

May this be my prayer
all of my days.

#SundayPsalm
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hideaway

Karla Lees3 Comments

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No matter where you go, you can never escape God.

He is there.

Psalm 139 is still with me today, reminding me that even if I go as far as the east is from the west, He  is always present.

If I were to go to the deepest depths of the ocean, or I flew to the highest of heights, I could not escape His Presence.

When I try to hide, as Adam & Eve did in the garden, He calls out…. asking where I am.  Not because He doesn’t know, but because He is trying to get me to acknowledge I am hiding.

Hiding from myself leads to trying to his, futile as it may be, from God.

There is only one exception that allows for hiding as a good thing, and that is when danger is imminent….

We all need a safe place to hide from the enemy.

God is that safe place, shelter, refuge.

We can hide in Him, knowing He will keep me even keeled when the waves are rocking my boat.

He keeps my heart full of His love when it is wounded & brokenhearted.

He keeps me peaceful when pain and loss threaten to well up and spill out for all to see.

He keeps His word, never leaving me despite the Judas’ kisses I have been given.

He reminds me who I really am,who He says I am, when the lies of the enemy resonate loudly in the battle.

He is my hiding place.

I made a decision not to hide any longer from God. 

Since He knows me so well, down to every hair & tear, and can see my life from all directions & times (past, present, future, eternal), it really is a waste of time trying to hide from Him.

Its time to hide myself in Him, again…

Every day.
Each moment.
All situations.

Claim your spot next to His Presence, in His arms, close to His heart:

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 32:7 NIV

introvert- come out of hiding

Karla LeesLeave a comment

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Believe it or not, I am an introvert.
I take quite a while to feel like I belong when in a large group of people. In fact, I normally don’t.

I struggle with the tension of being born to communicate, and the burning desire to keep myself hidden.

As Gandalf says so aptly, "Keep it hidden, keep it safe."

But hiding means burying part of myself away…the truth that God wants to express Himself through me:
to sing His songs of Love
to write His words of Hope
to encourage with His wisdom
to love up on with His heart

When I hide, the enemy wins the skirmish, if I fail to be who God designed me to be in that moment.

I recently made a huge leap and joined a ladies bible study at a new church. I was acquaintances with one woman, the one who invited me.

Fear was saying, "Do we have to go through meeting new people AGAIN?"

The Spirit countered with, "For such a time as this."

I went. And have been going every week since.

God has spoken to me more in the past four months as I took the leap to obey.

I am getting to know some lovely and lively women of faith, from many backgrounds, several of whom have encouraging me to keep pressing into God and use my gifts.

Becoming known in a safe environment builds trust and faith to step out from the shadows and into the Iight.

Sharing what is on my heart through word or song is a part of who I am.
Hiding it away leads to lies and shame.

Join me and step into who you are designed to be by the Designer.

I may be an introvert by nature, but I can do all things in His strength.

As I step out from my hiding place, I trust He is there to guide me.
I am safe in His arms.
I am confident He has good plans for me.
I have a living hope.
I can be known.

refuge

Karla LeesLeave a comment

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There are days I just want to hide myself away.

Days where I say something dumb, forget to do something important, or simply look like I should have stayed home in bed. On the worst days, all three at the same time.

As much as I want to stay in hiding, tucked comfortably under my squooshy duvet, listening to my Hope cat purr as she snores beside me, I know deep down that this is only (albeit a lovely option) a temporary solution for me.

I have a rock solid, impenetrable refuge to hide in.

One where I am tucked tightly underneath the shelter of His wings.

Protected.
Safe.
Loved.
Valued.
Treasured.
Beloved.

When things head downhill in my life, I head for His presence.

He is my Hope.
My Protector.
Provider.
Healer.

He never fails me.
Always adores me.
Constantly with me.
He never lets me go.

He whispers promises.
Sings me love songs.
Accepts me as me.
Delights over me.

As attractive as my bed may look at 5:45 in the morning, knowing my soul can escape to my forever home with Him in the blink of an eye keeps me hopeful, no matter what I am facing.

And I have faced enough doozies in my life to not need any more:

Abandonment
Molestation
Bullying
Cutting
Depression
Physical Illness
Loss of loved ones
Loss of income
Rejection
Anxiety
Fear
Broken relationships

And God has proven Himself to be more than enough for and through every single one of them.

Every time.

My true refuge.