Insights from a Coffee Mug

This morning in my time with the Lord, my eye caught a couple of verses that always touch me, I had underlined them, but I knew it was time to return to them again and take up meditating on them again...

Psalm 91:1-2
(NLT) "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust in Him." 

I had to look at it in KJV too:
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust."  

I knew it was for me this morning. God wanted to tell me something, so I went to writing in my notebook what He began to show me as I meditated on it:


Where is my dwelling place? What is "home" to me? Is it the "secret place of the Most High"? Is it in His shelter? Do I find rest in His presence, under His shadow? Or do I seek it somewhere else?
If I can't say of the Lord that only He is my refuge and fortress, then I cannot be finding rest in His presence. It is impossible to dwell in His secret place without being safe and secure from the enemy there.

...But, if I haven't been dwelling there, how do I get there now?

As I sat here, pondering this passage, my eye kept falling on the coffee mug I had brought with me to my quiet time. There on its outside, it says, "Be still, and know that I am God." (Ps. 46:10)

At first when I saw it, I saw a connection, but wasn't sure how it fit. But as I began writing, it became clear.

No matter where I've been headed, no matter where my feet have stepped, no matter how dirty I've become from stepping off the path, the very first thing I'm to do is "Be still". I'm to stop dead in my tracks. I'm to quit moving in any given direction, and be still.

The visual picture I get of that is of one who is mindlessly wandering around in a forest, and suddenly comes to his senses, stopping dead in his tracks, realizing one simple thing: he's lost.

But I'm not to stop there. No matter what I was thinking before, no matter where my thoughts were headed, no matter how clouded my mind was, the next thing to do is to "know" that He is God.

"But I already know that!" you may be thinking. But perhaps your mind has been so clouded from being off the path that you haven't acknowledged it. You need to remind yourself who He is. Bring that "knowledge" you had in the back of your mind to the forefront. Ask yourself, "Who is He?" and ponder it for a while. Turn to Him for the help you desperately need!

Back to the visual picture, the next thing to do is to cry out until someone answers and shows him the way. He may be lost, but once he realizes he is lost and cries out for help, help will come, and he will find his way out of that forest!

You see, "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble." (Ps. 46:1 emphasis added)

...Return to the "secret place of the most High"! Make that your dwelling place! There your home will be, and you will always find your security, acceptance, love and protection there!