Thursday, December 8, 2011 - Our Own Personal Chapel

 "I wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.  

He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken."  

My salvation and my honor come from God alone.  

He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

O my people, trust in Him at all times.  

Pour out your heart to Him,

for God is our refuge."

Psalm 62:5-6

   One of my favorite Christmas scenes is a church or chapel glowing in the snow at night. The picture evokes feelings of inner warmth, Love, acceptance, and refuge from a cold and insensitive world.  Emmanuel, "God with us," builds within each of us our own personal heart chapel in which we can hide through cold, stormy nights.  In this inner refuge, no one can disturb our peace in His Presence and we won't suffer any power outages. 

     Father, we look to You. We raise our hearts and our hopes to You. We raise empty cups for You to fill and we pour out our brokenness and grief at Your feet.  Remind us not to waste time and energy waiting for or trying to force others to fill our needs: They're not You and they have no power to lift or protect us.  Remind us also that no one has power to bring us down, except when we give them authority that's Yours alone.  

     We come to You for what we need. You, the only One Who can honor and bless us.  No one can shake Your Presence away from us. No one can steal the honor and salvation You give us. We take shelter as Your children in the home of Your Presence and Love and we will walk in the Power You've placed in us.  Thank You for being our own personal chapel whenever we choose to sit quietly in Your Presence and soak in every blessing You pour into us.

In the Name of Jesus Who died and rose again to demonstrate the Power of God to save