Dear One,
When I was in the sixth grade I took a required home-economics class. I remember making a macrame plant-hanger (hello 1970’s!) and crocheting a poncho, handbag & hat – along with way too many red, white & blue granny squares that never found their way into the afghan for which they were created (probably all for the best?).
For the sewing portion of this class, I made a wrap-around skirt with the help of my mother. While such a skirt should never be worn in windy weather, it was super easy to make – just one piece of material and round & round it went. Did anybody else have one?
The above blast from the past came to mind this week as I read in the Psalms about God’s “wrap-around presence” (which I trust offers more secure coverage than my skirt!).
“I experience your wrap-around presence every moment.”
(Psalm 16:8 TPT).
There are many times throughout the Psalms that King David and others spoke of being surrounded – wrapped right around by enemies, anxieties, and troubles – by sin, sorrow and cords of death, all of which closed them in, cut them off, or caused a good bit of panic and pain.
But in the above verse the Psalmist notes the alternate experience of God surrounding him. “Always close,” he says. In this way he is wrapped right ’round in love, comfort, and peace – in joy, wisdom, and strength.
When my son was younger, I’d speak a blessing over him every morning as he headed out the door to go to school. His absolute favorite was entitled “Circle Me, Lord.”
I went to school in a wrap-around skirt, my son went in a wrap-around God.
We are too often circled & surrounded by a cacophony of voices – pushing, shoving, demanding, degrading. The nearness of anxiety brings pressure and panic. The nearness of God, peace.
What are you surrounded by?
Needs, demands, expectations
Circle Me, Lord
Grief, sorrow and tears
Circle Me, Lord
Pain, suffering & despair
Circle Me, Lord
Anxiety, worry & fear
Circle me, Lord
Questions, uncertainties, unknowns
Circle Me, Lord
Circle me with light and love,
Circle me with comfort and hope
Circle me with peace and understanding.
Circle Me, Lord.
“The Eternal wraps around those who belong to Him –
for this moment and for every moment to come.”
(Psalm 125:2 Voice)
Circle Me, Lord: Our Little Life Words of the week.
———————
DEEPER DIVE
———————
Ponder:
- What are you surrounded by and to what effect?
- What do you need to be wrapped right ’round in today? What do you need to keep close?
Practice:
- Read Circle Me, Lord. Are there any stanzas you would add, specific to your current circumstances?
Play:
- Our song of the week is: Surrounded by Michael W. Smith
Pray:
- Use David Adam’s blessing as a prayer for yourself and others this week.
Friend,
The image that comes to mind for me is that of a babe in its mothers womb. Amniotic fluid surrounds the growing baby, cushioning it, acting as a shock absorber in order to protect it from all the bumps of the outside world.
I think of God’s wrap-around presence in this way. Me encased in him, him cushioning me. Closer to me than anything else.
May you be wrapped right ’round, held in light & love.