Psalm 31

I just needed to re-read this tonight... I think my Bible just flips open to this Psalm, I've read it so much...

Psalm 31-A David Psalm (The Message)

 ^1-2I run to You, God; I run for dear life. Don't let me down! 
      Take me seriously this time! 
   Get down on my level and listen, 
      and please—no procrastination! 
   Your granite cave a hiding place, 
      Your high cliff aerie a place of safety. 

 ^3-5 You're my cave to hide in, 
      my cliff to climb. 
   Be my safe leader, 
      be my true mountain guide. 
   Free me from hidden traps; 
      I want to hide in You. 
   I've put my life in Your hands. 
      You won't drop me, 
      You'll never let me down. 

 ^6-13 I hate all this silly religion, 
      but You, God, I trust. 
   I'm leaping and singing in the circle of Your love; 
      You saw my pain, 
      You disarmed my tormentors, 
   You didn't leave me in their clutches 
      but gave me room to breathe. 
   Be kind to me, God— 
      I'm in deep, deep trouble again. 
   I've cried my eyes out; 
      I feel hollow inside. 
   My life leaks away, groan by groan; 
      my years fade out in sighs. 
   My troubles have worn me out, 
      turned my bones to powder. 
   To my enemies I'm a monster; 
      I'm ridiculed by the neighbors. 
   My friends are horrified; 
      they cross the street to avoid me. 
   They want to blot me from memory, 
      forget me like a corpse in a grave, 
      discard me like a broken dish in the trash. 
   The street-talk gossip has me 
      "criminally insane"! 
   Behind locked doors they plot 
      how to ruin me for good. 

 ^14-18 Desperate, I throw myself on You: 
      You are my God! 
   Hour by hour I place my days in Your hand, 
      safe from the hands out to get me. 
   Warm me, Your servant, with a smile; 
      save me because You love me. 
   Don't embarrass me by not showing up;
      I've given You plenty of notice. 
   Embarrass the wicked, stand them up, 
      leave them stupidly shaking their heads 
      as they drift down to hell. 
   Gag those loudmouthed liars 
      who heckle me, Your follower, 
      with jeers and catcalls. 

 ^19-22 What a stack of blessing You have piled up 
      for those who worship You, 
   Ready and waiting for all who run to You 
      to escape an unkind world. 
   You hide them safely away 
      from the opposition. 
   As You slam the door on those oily, mocking faces, 
      You silence the poisonous gossip. 
   Blessed God! 
      His love is the wonder of the world. 
   Trapped by a siege, I panicked. 
      "Out of sight, out of mind," I said. 
   But You heard me say it, 
      You heard and listened. 

 ²³ Love God, all You saints; 
      God takes care of all who stay close to Him, 
   But he pays back in full 
      those arrogant enough to go it alone. 

 ²⁴ Be brave. Be strong. Don't give up. 
      Expect God to get here soon.

safe love...

I've recently come to love this song and thought I'd blog it here. It's called "Safe" from Britt Nicole's semi-new album "The Lost Get Found."

You keep trying to get inside my head
While I keep trying to lose the words you said
Can't you see I'm hanging by a thread
To my life, what I know
Yeah, I'm losing control and

Oh, no, my walls are gonna break
So close, it's more than I can take
I'm so tired of turning and running away
When love just isn't safe
You're not safe

I'm strong enough
I've always told myself
I never wanna need somebody else
But I've already fallen from that hill
So I'm dropping my guard,
Here's your chance at my heart

Oh, no, my walls are gonna break
So close, it's more than I can take
I'm so tired of turning and running away
When love just isn't safe

Everything you want, but it's everything you need
It's not always happy endings
But it's all the in-between
It's taken so long, so long to finally see
That your love is worth the risk

Oh, no, my walls are gonna break
So close, it's more than I can take
I'm so tired of turning and running away
When love just isn't safe

You're not safe
And that's ok

God’s been teaching me a lot about love recently—“people love” and “God love.” See, I’m realizing how stubborn and self-sufficient I am. And even when I’m not, I still make it very clear to people that I still want to be treated as such. It takes a lot for me to admit that I’m worn out, to accept someone walking me back to my dorm late at night, or to let people see the way I really feel.

And then God knocks me off my feet. Showers me with His love and when I look for the strings experience has taught me must be attached, I find none. And that unnerves me. Makes me unsure of what to do. Makes me realize that He has once again seen past my defenses.

When things aren’t safe I turn and run. I think it’s easier that way. I don’t have to face it. I don’t have to let anyone past the walls. The defenses are up.

I like walls. I like distance. Letting anyone in is risky. Uncertain. Unclear. And then I hear His voice in the back of my mind asking for me to let Him in. He wants to bring light. Bring life. Banish loneliness and bring laughter. He could tear down the walls but He would prefer that I hand over the key and let Him in of my own accord. Let Him have His chance at my heart. Allow Him to woo me and make me fall in love with Him.

If I let Him in will that rock my world? Yes.

Love’s not safe, but it’s worth the risk.