Hiding Place

Dear Friends,

There's a beautiful song I've been singing lately called "You are my Hiding Place" by Michael Ledner. The words say, "You are my hiding place. You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance, whenever I am afraid I will trust in You. I will trust in You. Let the weak say, 'I am strong in the strength of the Lord.' I will trust in You."

It reminds me of some prose I wrote in 1996 that I'd like to share with you. I had retreated to a chapel--a "hiding place"; somewhere I could have some peace and quiet. Particularly for you young mothers, I remember the whirlwind of motion going on in our lives at that time. The children's extracurricular activities kept us constantly on the go. I look back on that period and think, "How did we do all that?"

O restful haven, an oasis in the desert.
Here I come to surrender myself to you.
All that I am, good and bad,
the rich and poor parts of me.
And You--You take me as I am,
no one on earth can equal that.

Your arms surround me,
0 how happy I am to be with You.
Great Lover, 0 that You are!

I'm parched, I'm pining, I'm dusty, I'm dry,
I need to be bathed in the rivers of Your life,
renewed by the springs You promised.
You, 0 Faithful God are true to Your word,
alone are You in this.

Your grace has drawn me to this place.
I struggled to get here, so many obstacles in the way,
some I'm sure I created for myself, others--
I laid down my life for others,
my children depending on me.
I am in need Lord, in need to rid myself
of unwanted self and pride.
Thinking I can do anything on my own,
how foolish of me.

Exhausted I lie, no ounce of my own strength
can renew me now.
Only You Good God--You
who breathed life and energy into me in the beginning.
Breathe life into me as I surrender to You, Lord.
Give grace that breaks all resistance
to fall into your loving embrace.
Take away all my fear
and give me childlike trust in my Father's arms.

I feel my soul quieting now;
I've escaped the hurricane winds,
the whirlwind pace that has swept me
far too long.
The quiet here is as if I'm in a space capsule—
far away from earth,
traveling above time and beyond gravity.

Let me tumble into Your embrace,
for I know You love me,
and I want to love You in return.

May we truly find that hiding place--that home within--where we feel peaceful, protected, and refreshed.

Abundant blessings of peace,
Sheila