4everinmyheart: PRECIOUS MEMORIES

MY FATHER; MY PROTECTOR

PSALM 18:6 "In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears."

WOW! An amazing scripture given by the One who loves and understands my heart and life the most. As I read this verse I realized what happens when I'm in trouble or have a need of any kind and I cry out to my Father. The sound of my cry is not only heard in my Fathers house, but it seeps through the cracks of the door, travels down through the hallways of His great mansion and shouts my desperate need right at His feet as though I were standing right before Him face to face! Not only does the sound of my cry enter into His house and shout before Him but it makes it's way right into His ear! He hears it! The sound of my cry has entered into His soul - To His very heart and core and is heard above all other sounds.

How many of us who have children can relate to this very picture? I know very well the sound of each one of my children's voices - even with my back turned and a distance away. I can recall on many occasions when upon hearing one of my girls "cry out" the cord that was struck in my heart at the sound of it. There was no hesitation, no asking questions, just an instant response to the rush of emotion that flooded my soul over the cry of my baby. We see this demonstrated throughout all of nature as we witness the Mother respond to the call of action over the cry of her "little one."

Greater still is the message found in the verses that follow verse 6. We see the very Creator of heaven and earth - The One we call Abba Father, "Daddy", respond as only HE can. I truly consider myself to be so blessed to have an earthly father that has demonstrated the love of our Heavenly Father to his children. So many times I remember crawling up into his lap and falling asleep next to him. In fact, if I close my eyes, I can still feel the peace surrounding me bringing a sense of comfort and relaxation just knowing that "my daddy" was right there. His strong arms, his love for me, his attentive care brought such comfort and safety.

In the same way, this scripture brings great comfort, joy, and peace to my heart knowing that My Father in heaven not only knows the sound of my voice but hears me every time I call to Him. But, He doesn't just hear my voice - He responds like I do for my girls - only - better! I'm talking about "The Big Daddy" here! If you're ever in a pinch or caught in a dark alley, this is the one you want on your side - kind of daddy

The truly amazing part about this portion of scripture is my Fathers response to my cry, His provision, His reaction. Reading on in verses 7-19, I have found how precious and valuable I am to my Father. I'm not a bother to Him because I've cried out! In fact, quite the opposite! His heart strings are moved to great action! V:7 "the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken". WHY? Because His "baby" was in trouble, something or someone was trying to harm His little one and He is ANGRY! And at this very moment - All of heaven and earth is feeling the heat over it!

So ... I've been loud over those who have stepped over the boundaries to harm my girls. But, I've never made this kind of raging racket that the entire universe could hear it!

V:8 "Smoke went up from His nostrils".

Okay, so I've been angry over those who want to harm my babies, but I don't every remember smoke coming from my nose let alone fire from my mouth that stoked up a fire on the coals although I must admit, this would be pretty handy when camping at Moosehead lake.

But here's the Ultimate touching part for me V:9 "He bowed the heavens also, and came down.

" WOW! He cracked the sky open and came off His Holy throne - Just for ME! I'm not kidding around here. I could go on and on.... and on .... because you see my heart is in awe. I am amazed at my Holy Father! Verses 10-19 continue the story of His reaction to my cry, about His protection and rebuke against what harms me. Then, He tops it with a cherry and declares - V:19 "He delivered me because He delighted in me.

To which I respond .... " THANK YOU DADDY! I am AMAZED at your love for me! It's my desire to spend the rest of my days loving you back in everything I do and everything I say. ABBA FATHER? I LOVE YOU, DADDY!