A Shelter in the Storm & A Two Year Blogiversary Giveaway

A Shelter in the Time of Storm

The Lord’s our Rock, in Him we hide,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
Secure whatever ill betide,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A weary land, a weary land;
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

A shade by day, defense by night,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
No fears alarm, no foes afright,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A weary land, a weary land;
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

The raging storms may round us beat,
A Shelter in the time of storm
We’ll never leave our safe retreat,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A weary land, a weary land;
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

O Rock divine, O Refuge dear,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
Be Thou our Helper ever near,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A weary land, a weary land;
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

Last night, when Ted and I finally crawled into bed, I begged him to hold me so I could fall asleep in the safety of his arms.  He responded the same way he does every time I ask that, "My mom told me once that girls need to feel safe.  I don't understand that..."  I started thinking about his statement and what it really means to be safe.  I tried to explain it to him, but all I could come up with was that, after a long, stressful, exhausting day, being in his arms makes me feel like none of that "stuff" matters, because I can rest secure in his arms until a new day full of new mercies.

How much more can I be held safe and secure in the arms of my Savior?  This morning, I felt a strong desire to look up the word "safe" or "secure" in my bible so I could be reminded of the shelter I can always find in Him.  The first verse that stood out to me was Proverbs 18:10, "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe."  What does the word "safe" mean here?  Strong's concordance defines it as to "be (safely) set on high...to be safely protected".  The picture of a strong tower in the first part of the verse is that when the enemy is gaining on us, we can run to higher ground, safely protected by a secure and mighty fortress.  So, when I find myself falling into that pit of despair from trials or struggles that are too much to bear, I can run to Him and He will pull me out and safely protect me from letting it destroy me.

Psalm 46:1 talks about God being a refuge or shelter - "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."  One of Strong's definitions for the word "refuge" is "shelter...from rain or storm, from danger...the person to whom one flees".  I love this definition because it is a reminder that I can flee to Him and He will protect me.  Jeremiah 17:17 translates the same word (in the KJV version) as "hope" - "Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil."and Psalm 91:2 translates it as "trust" - "I will say to the Lord, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'"  These verses are beautiful reminders that, no matter what trials this life brings, I can have hope that God will redeem me from the pit and trust that He will be my refuge and my fortress.  The last few verses of Psalm 46 explains that God will have the final victory, so we can always be assured that He will be glorified and His enemies will be judged.

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Can you believe it's been two years since I first posted here?  This little blog has meant so much to me; it is a place for me to share my struggles and my joys, a place to find encouragement from women and moms with the same struggles, a place to be reminded of the work God has done and continues to do in my life, and a place to record all the memories I don't want to forget.  Writing is a stress reliever, a comfort, an outlet for me and I'm so thankful for a place to let my writing be heard and enjoyed by others.  I have "met" so many wonderful women and am blessed by the friendships I've made here.  I also love being able to share with family and friends who live far away.

To celebrate two years of blogging, I thought it would be fun to share a few of my best posts:

Bigger Picture Moment: Chasing the Wind

This Is Love

I'm Not Perfect

In All Things, Give Thanks

Best Job In The World

I also would like to share some love with those who have been with me on this journey, who encourage me, pray for me, and love me through this blog, so I have a little something to giveaway.  Since I have so many sewing projects I want to do and so little time to do them, I decided to only sew a few Christmas gifts this year.  One of them was a cute little hobo purse from this tutorial.  I love how it turned out and it was so easy to make too.

Would you like your own custom hobo purse?  I am giving away ONE custom made (you choose the fabric) hobo purse.  To enter:

(Mandatory)

Tell me which of the blog posts I shared is your favorite and why or tell me why you love to read my blog.

(Extra entries)

1. Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect or by email (but remember to verify your email subscription).

2. Share this giveaway on Facebook or on your Blog.

3. Tell me which fabric you would choose for your own custom hobo purse.

This giveaway will end on December 23rd at 2:00 PM (CST) and the winner will be announced sometime after Christmas. 

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Also, since the winner of my Old El Paso Family Taco Night giveaway never contacted me, I picked a new winner.  Congratulations to comment #4 - Kristin!  I already have your contact information, Kristin, so I will let MyBlogSpark know right away so you can get your prize.  Enjoy!