Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Nobody can say that King David was not a courageous, battle tested warrior, yet in many of his psalms we hear of the times when he was afraid of many things, especially death by the hands of his enemies. One such occasion is depicted in Psalm 17:8 where he wrote: "Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings." Many people can boastfully claim that they fear nothing or no one, but the truth is that we all experience fear in one capacity or another. Even those who walk close to God will go to bed in fear on some nights, sometimes even in utter terror. The reasons may be many and the episodes may last a few minutes or a few hours, but all honest believers will confess that this is true. When fear strikes the heart, God's children immediately look to Him for strength, comfort, and assurance.
David asked the Lord on this occasion to hide him as "the apple of the eye", a phrase that may have several meanings and one that has been used often by song and poem writers. In David's case, it ultimately refers to something precious, very well hidden and protected. He may have meant the very center of the eye which God has positioned so that it will receive the best protection possible or the tiny reflection of yourself in somebody else's eyes. He also may have meant it as some folks do today when they say that a certain someone is the "apple of their eye." If that is what David meant, then he was asking the Lord to see him as His most precious possession. Regardless of the exact meaning, David was seeking the assurance that God would hold him safe while he was going through a terrifying storm, which is why he added, "hide me under the shadow of thy wings."
The last two lines of a favorite hymn of mine, Till The Storm Passes By, read: "Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of thy hand. Keep me safe till the storm passes by." This really is a picture of the life of a child of God. In this world we will go through many frightful storms, but the Lord will always keep us close to Himself and in the end we will arrive safely at Heaven's shore. As I have been known to say often, "the storms of life don't last forever." If you are going through one today, child of God, take comfort in the fact that you are safely enclosed in the loving arms of your Heavenly Father. He won't let anything harm you. After all, you are "the apple of His eye."
Memory verse for the week: (Hebrews 13:15) "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess His name."
