IN THE SECRET PLACE

Part 2

Under His Wings

“For in the day of trouble, He will hide me in His shelter, in the secret place of His tent will He hide me. He will set me high upon a rock.” Ps. 27:5 (Amp)

I am young, all of 20, married to my darling Jim and have no child as of yet. My friend Mary, from Texas, and I are riding our ten speed bikes to a lake in Alaska to go swimming. Even though the Talkeetna spur highway is not busy, it has wide shoulders that we can pull onto when cars come up behind us.

We are riding side by side on the right side as we’re supposed to, talking and laughing, two young girls enjoying the gorgeous Alaska sunshine. Mary’s long blond hair streams in the wind. My long red hair flies around my face. We are going down a slight hill, and the lake is on our left.

Suddenly I hear a roar behind us. I turn my head to look but my hair blocks my view. The roar is loud in my ears and seems very close. Like right on top of us. Mary is on my right, I can’t go that way.

I panic and peel left. I hear screeching tires above the roar of the engine. I know instantly that I made a huge mistake. I am leaning hard left and I try pulling back to the right, but it won’t respond. Not fast enough. I glance over my right shoulder.

A huge orange fender is bearing down on me. I see the left headlight, like a giant eye, coming right at me. On my left is to the lake below. No escape there.

I’m going to die! I know it. No doubt. Leaning right as hard as I can, I peddle like crazy. I cringe expecting the blow. Help me God!

Out of the corner of my left eye, I see an orange blur. Then I see the rear of the orange Carry All. Somehow, it misses me! There is no way that big Carry All could have missed me. No way! The large heavy vehicle was coming right at me, only a hair’s width behind. A miracle indeed!

Mary has stopped on the side of the highway and is straddling her bike, anxiously watching me. I coast over to her, step off my bike, lay it calmly on the ground and collapse. My chest is heaving as I sit with my forehead on my raised knees. Mary sits beside me and looks at me, her face is white.

“Are ya’ll ok?” She asks in her Texas drawl. “I was just sure ya’ll were going to be splattered all over that road! Why, all I saw when I looked back was that big ole thing right behind ya’ll! There’s no way he could’ve missed ya’ll. Just no way!”

The Carry All doesn’t have a muffler and it sounds angry as it backs up. A man climbs out yelling and waving his arms.

“You stupid kids!” He storms as he stomps back to us.

I don’t feel like a kid when I struggle stiffly to my feet, but I know I have everything coming this man wants to dish out. So, humbly I take my dressing down, which is not like me, but honestly, I am too weak to say much except to apologize and agree that it was a very stupid thing to do.

The guy calms down a bit, but continues to rant. “Don’t know why I’m not in that there lake,” he says pointing, “had to go clear off the road to miss you, and right at that drop off too!”

We walk over, my legs barely making the journey, and look at the place where the bank drops completely off. There is a huge culvert about 30 feet below, where a creek flows into the lake.

Sure enough, his right tire track is in the gravel beside the pavement, just a couple of feet from the edge of the bank. No sign of the left tire track can we find. (he could tell which tire it was by the different tread on his tires)

“Looks like I was flying.” The man says, just above a whisper.

“Looks to me, like there was an angel carrying you.” I say quietly.

More like two angels, one pushing me over and one holding the Carry All on the road.

“He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” Ps. 91:4

Both you and I know bad things happen to good people. Right? Evil and disaster is all around and comes into lives, even our own lives.   Sure, there’s times when God’s angels protect us like my terrifying bike ride. But what about the times when His feathers don’t seem to cover us? What about when that rampart and shield seem to be gone?

I mean, God, when the horror and darkness of my son’s death was upon us, where was Your shield then?

“My child, I took the evil and made it good. Sure Satan meant it for bad, but I shoved it in his face! He tried to steal your son from My hand, but what is Mine is Mine. I did not let him go. What could be better than Stephen being with Me, loving and living safely in Glory land forever?”

I see that Psalm 91 is not talking about the absence of trouble, In fact it addresses much trouble. I may dash my foot against a stone, or turn the wrong way on my bike, but I will not crash.

I may tread on a serpent or face a lion, but I will not be trampled or devoured. The angels keep me in all my ways. He, my Father, has given them to me. A thousand may fall at my side. Ten thousand on the other side. I may see my loved ones die. Oh, the terrors I may witness!

But His wings cover me. Nothing comes near me He does not allow. For this reason I should not be afraid of the terror I see around me. Nor of the arrows that fly through the air. Nor of the sicknesses and disease that creep out of nowhere. Nor of the destruction from man that is blatant and in my face.

Of these I should not fear, for His truth, His word, His promises, His very presence is my shield, my protection and my support.

My bulwark is the Almighty God of the universe! He covers me with His wings. With the very feathers of His mighty wings, He delivers me from the deadly snare of the evil one.

Up close and personal, He literally covers me with His protection. He holds me in His mighty hand. Nothing can take me out of His hand. Nothing on earth or in the heavens. Nothing below the earth or in Hell.

I can abandon myself to His hands. I can completely bail in His arms.

When trouble comes, I can say, “You have this, Father!” And I can let go.

“This one’s Yours!” And I can fling my arms out in complete abandon to His will.

His hold on me is sure. His arms are not too short to catch me or His ear too deaf to hear my cries. He has me! Always and Forever! (from Ps. 59:1)

When terror comes,

when the arrows fly,

when the pestilence stalks,

when destruction strikes,

when the snare is set,

when plague hovers,

when drought threatens,

when the lion attacks,

when the cobra strikes,

I will say, “He is my Refuge, my Fortress and my God. On Him, I lean and on Him I rely. In Him I confidently trust!”

I take refuge under His wings.

My Buckler says, “Because you have set your love upon Me, therefore I will deliver you. I will set you on high, because you know and have personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness. You trust and rely on Me, knowing I will never forsake you. No never.

I will be with you in trouble. I will deliver you and lift you up. With long life I will satisfy you and I will save you.” (from, Ps.91:2, 14, 15 Amp.)

This is the secret place.