S03E009, Car Covers, Trees and Protection, Andy B 2 Minute Video

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Psalm 17 verse 8, says this “Protect me as the pupil of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings (CSB)

We love the idea of being under the protection of our Heavenly Father – as we should!

But after some issues with their car, due to an oak tree in their garden (and the ‘stuff’ it deposited on their car), Andy realised the small, summer, car cover - which only covered the windscreen – simply wasn’t big enough, so a full car cover was bought and put into use.

But it got him thinking - where are we struggling to protect something, when God is much bigger and better at completely protecting us?

This doesn’t mean “how do we use God to ensure we are free of problems”! Because if you are truly a disciple of Jesus Christ, you will know – as we do – that the problems you and I face don’t simply fade away and cease.

However, surrendering everything that we are trying to protect – ourselves - to God, can be both difficult, yet liberating – and essential, if we wish to continue to seek and live in God’s peace; if we’re hanging tightly onto something other than Jesus, how can we hold onto Jesus Himself?

So where are you holding onto something that really isn’t working in your life? Take some time, open your hands, and allow the Holy Spirit to comfort you as you put yourself fully under God’s protection.

Just a thought...

Andy B

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So another Andy B 2 Minute Video Vlog, er, and we've bought a car cover for our car: not particularly exciting.

However I was thinking about this because the car cover that we used to have, we used in the summer - covered the windscreen, that was about all.

So we've just bought ourselves a complete, full-car, cover. So why would you do that in the UK in the summer?

Well, er, if you live where we live, erm, and you have a big oak tree that hangs over your entire drive and no matter what you can, you try to do your car is always somehow under that tree.

And we've got pigeons nesting in there, and all the sap from the tree falls on the car.

All of a sudden the protection offered by a full-car cover start to make a lot more sense - so we've got a full car cover.

But it got me thinking about our relationships with God. Because as we go through life, erm, there are times when we want to be under, erm, God's protection. And there's this lovely piece of scripture - which I'll read out - which talks about exactly that: about being under God's protection.

Erm, and it's a nice place to be!

But there's something I want to think of.

Psalm 17 verse 8: "Protect me as the pupil of your eye. Hide me in the shadow of your wings"

And we wanna to be in God's protection. It's a great place to be.

It doesn't mean, necessarily, that all our problems are gonna to disappear; that we're not gonna find ourselves with difficulties or persecution.

That, that's, not the point of being in God's protection. It's not about avoiding the problems of life - as a Christian, as a disciple. As a follower of Jesus Christ we're going to encounter issues and difficulties. That's what happens.

So what's the point in being in the shadow of God's protection?

Well it's the place where we can find peace - in order to be who He's asking us to be.

That's what being in the shadow, shelter and the Shadow of the Most High: that's what it means to me personally.

So where in your life are you wanting to be in God's protection, but you're not surrendering parts of yourself to God, through the power of the Holy Spirit; through that comforting, beautiful Holy Spirit - to help us.

Where is it that you're not surrendering that stuff to God?

Maybe it's your anxiety - you want to be in God's protection but you're, you're, hanging on desperately for this thing; you've got it in your hand and you don't want to let go and God's saying 'well just let it go and rest in me'.

So where are you holding onto stuff - anxiety; maybe it's a worry about the future; about a job; or not enough money; or paying the rent; or how long will we be in this house; or an illness suddenly crops up or whatever.

We need to give those things to God - so that we can truly 'hide in the Shadow of the winds of God' as we read in the Psalms.

So where are you not surrendering stuff to God?

I had his image of us, in the shadow of God and our arms just sticking out from the side of where God's protection is , and He's just saying "let go of it and put yourself in my protection".