The Safe Hiding Place

Last week we started talking about the Name of Jesus, this week I want to talk about how we have a covering and a safe hiding place in Jesus. Leviticus 17:11 says, “…or the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible.”

The word purification in our verse is the same word used as atonement in the KJV which is the word “kaphar” which means to cover, make reconciliation, to coat,  atone for sin or to be covered. Jesus Christ died for us on the cross and He shed His blood for us. How much more does His blood cover over us. It is a covering, a protection over us. We do not need to worry when we are under the blood because even death cannot reach us when we are under the blood. This is exactly what happened at the first Passover in Egypt. If there was blood on the side and top of the door frame then nobody died in the house they were covered by the blood (Exodus 12). 

This was the blood of lambs. I wonder how much more protection we have from the blood of Jesus. Psalms 91:9 tells us that if we make the Lord our refuge, if we make the Most High our shelter, no evil will conquer us and no plague (disease, stroke) will come near our homes. 

We have a safe place in God but it is up to us to make Him our covering. The blood was shed for all but only those who come under its protection are covered. We have a role to play in our own protection and it is simply a choice. The Israelites had to obey God and put blood on the door posts.  We get to choose Jesus. We get to choose to come under His protection. We get to choose to run to Him when we are in trouble. 

I heard this story of a mother hen who had her brood of chicks running around a farm yard. The mother hen spotted a hawk which was circling around about to swoop in and grab one of the chicks. The little chicks were desperately running around trying to hide from the hawk. The mother hen did not run to rescue the chicks one by one but she squatted down and spread her wings and began to cluck. The chicks recognised the mother hen’s clucking and ran to her and she hid them under her wings where they were safe and she tucked them in under her. The hawk could not get to the chicks unless it went through mama hen first. But it was up to the chicks to run to the mother hen. The safety and protection was there but they had to run to it. They had to choose to trust the mother hen in that circumstance and run to her. 

The same applies to us. Psalm 91 starts off by saying, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High…” Then in verses 3-4 it says, “For He will rescue you from every tap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with His feathers, He will shelter you with His wings. His faithful promises are your armour and protection”. The protection in Psalm 91 starts off with us choosing to make God our covering. You don’t accidentally find yourself living in the shelter of the Most High, it takes some decision making and putting our faith in Him and His Word to get us there. 

Safety and protection have already been provided to us but we get to choose to make God our hiding place, we get to choose to run to Jesus. We get to choose to plead the covering of the blood of Jesus over ourselves. We have to choose to trust God in the middle of the chaos. When we do that, God gathers us in and tucks us into safety and anything that tries to come after us must go through Him first. 

I hope in this season you learn how to make God your hiding place, your covering, your shelter. I hope you choose to run to Him in times of trouble and allow Him to tuck you into the place of safety. Under the covering of His Blood and under the covering of His Name. 

Love and blessings, 

Melissa Tsingano