Ps 91:1-2 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Ps 91:3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper, And from the deadly pestilence.
Summer. Barbeques. Family. The weather was beautiful. The family was gathered. The food was good. The kids were all running around in the backyard. The adults were relaxing, talking. Some were cleaning up in the kitchen, others were sitting around the table outside. Soon it would be time for dessert. I had only made one dessert, a three tiered lemon cake, the favorite of most of those present. It was centered on the table outside like a star begging you to notice. Well, it did get the attention of ----- our dog! As quick as you can say no, the lemon cake had a large bite taken out of the side. My oldest brother laughed as he shooed Pooh Bear away and told us what happened when we came out from the kitchen. We were able to cut a large margin off the cake where the insult had taken place and still enjoy my efforts. Just in the nick of time? Or not? Injuries were apparent but there was salvage.
‘Just in the nick of time’ is a saying most of us have heard. There’s actually an acronym that showed up for this phrase: JITNOT! It means ‘at the last possible moment’.
My three children and I had moved around about every six months for a period of three years. We weren’t hiding or choosing to move, we were surviving through a really rough period of time. One of our last moves was into a low-income government housing project. Not the best place for a young single mom with three kids, two under the age of five, but nevertheless a place that provided shelter. It was a bit scary and not what you might particularly choose, if you had a choice. Drug dealing was rampant and obvious, the sounds of fighting and yelling were commonplace and even my sweet five year old son got punched in the face by a girl as I was watching him on the swing set placed in the center of the apartments. My paperwork was to be completed the following morning to sign a contract for the lease and I remember thinking there had to be a better solution but was unable to come up with one. The only things I knew to do was pray, trust and be thankful for what God had provided. Then there was a phone call from a leader at the church the kids and I attended and a request to come by right away that evening. As I was offered a real home and asked not to sign the papers in the morning I remember tears of thankfulness. A couple in our church had purchased a tiny home specifically for our use! Asking only for rent we could pay within our meager income. This house was in a safe neighborhood. Next door to an older couple who quickly became dear friends. Just in the nick of time! Perfectly in God’s time. He delivered us out of a situation that had become increasingly difficult. JITNOT! Could God have rescued us sooner? Sure. But the increasing values of trust, patience, dependence on Him, thankfulness for what you have, recognizing the needs of others, learning that joy comes from within rather than outside circumstances, were His gift to myself and my children, learned through hardship – one that is forever embedded in our hearts.
Ps 91:3 says, For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper, and from the deadly pestilence.
In the previous verse of this chapter, David had called God his refuge, his fortress, his trust. Why? Because he knew God would rescue him from harm.
For it is He who delivers you….
to continue click here
