​”Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.” – Psalm 71:3

Ladies, we love reading verses like this in the Bible, don’t we?  These words are sweet to our souls.  God is our rock, God is our refuge.  We enjoy the sense of security that they infer.  Today, I want to remind you that there is much more to our Refuge than just safety.  The security we find in God should embolden us in powerful ways!   Here are three points to keep in mind:

First, God as our rock.  God gives us a sure foundation, he is our bedrock to stand on.  Never shaken, never shifting, always solid. Once we are his, this rock is our home.  It provides for us a surety for life, we no longer have to wade in sand or sink in the muck.  It is a platform on which we can easily point to the gospel since Jesus Christ is truly the rock on which we stand.  Just as Isaiah prophesied (Is. 28:16) and Jesus proved.  “For it stands in Scripture: ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’” 1 Peter 2:6. 

This solid foundation provides a position of insight (a place of enlightenment) and visibility (we can see the world for what it is). Though we are protected, all eyes will be on us.  We are not sinking and struggling like those around us in the mud of the world; they will want to know why.  We can point to our Rock.

Secondly, God as our fortress.  An invisible fortress?  Yes, for now, but that makes it that much more powerful.  It is a spiritual fortress allowing us to love others without barriers.  We are able to serve like Jesus did with our hands and feet yet always under guard of the Mighty King.  So we can hug the lepers of society without a second thought.  We can serve the sick and minister to the contaminated.

We are never out from under the protection and authority of God.  Nothing can happen to us and no harm can come to us without his allowing it.  He commands and we can obey without fear.  It is no wonder his final words on earth were to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” with the reminder, “…behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19).  He is our fortress. 

Finally, knowing all of this causes us to proclaim the glories of God.  In this same Psalm 71, after the lyrics of God being a refuge, rock and fortress it continues on with verses like this: “My praise is continually of you.” (v. 6b) and “My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day.” (V.8)  Another gem is found in Psalm 73:28b, “I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.”  With understanding of who God is comes a verbalization to prove it.  You can’t be surrounded by an awe-inspiring God without speaking of his awesomeness.

What better location than a rock-solid, unbreakable fortress to proclaim the good news from!  It is no wonder God commands us to read his word so often; we need these reminders of our condition in him every day.  It changes the way we look at each person and each event in our lives.
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If we could comprehend the surety we have in Christ and the strength of the foundation of our God, nothing would stop us from proclaiming the gospel in this world.  So let’s try to do just that and comprehend our God a little more each day by reading his Word.  Becoming women with praise on our lips who boldly love those around us and serve with tenacity, all because we know our Rock will never fail.  Our Refuge of safety is also our Source of gospel boldness.

I have recently made the discovery that I am not a very nice person.  I’m not trying to be self-depreciating, I really am not as nice as I had hoped I was.  Just ask my husband.

This past weekend Phil and I were teasing each other (as we often do) and he said, “You are so mean to me!”  He was joking at the time, but I took the liberty of telling him how fortunate he was to have me and that I knew for a fact that I was VERY nice to him.  If anyone was mean it had to be him.  I proceeded to remind him of a good example (the first red flag was already waving in my head… I ignored it).  As if he didn’t know the details already, I recounted them for him.  I won’t do that here, but it had to do with my birthday, me being sick and dog puke.  You can put the pieces together yourself.  Other great examples flooded my brain, but that one seemed adequate enough to prove my point (red flag number two…ignored).

So after this discussion (which he took quite graciously and quietly) I decided to further demonstrate my incredible niceness throughout the rest of the evening.  We were headed to Dubuque as a family and I figured this would be the perfect setting for the boys to see how nice I am to their father.  What a great example I would prove to be and then Phil would have to eat his words – ha! (Red flag number three… ignored.)

Phil drove.  Oh my.  After biting my tongue several times I realized this was going to be harder than I thought.  If only I had driven instead, it may not have proven such a challenge.  We had been in Dubuque for less than an hour; my tongue was sore and I was tired of being silent.  The reality finally hit me and I said, “I give up!  You are right, I AM mean!  I can’t hold it in any longer!”  Phil, gracious again, just smiled and shook his head.

We laughed at the time, but it has been very humbling for me.  I really didn’t realize how biting I was and how often!  I was trying so hard to not be mean, I couldn’t speak.  Unkind words so quickly came to my mouth that all I could do was try to block their exit.  It was almost painful not to let them fly.  Talk about an eye opener, the words from James 3:8 about the tongue come to mind, “It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”  I had a taste of my own poison and it was awful.

The hard truth is that holding my tongue is important, but that isn’t the full discipline of taming the tongue.  We don’t tame something (such as an animal) just to have it stay still and do nothing.  We tame it to behave in a specific manner.  One way our tongue needs to behave is given to us in Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

Stopping the hurtful words from coming out is not enough, the command is not to be silent.  We are instructed to speak words of grace that build a person up.  This is not something we can conjure up on our own.  What was coming out of my mouth that night (and all too often everyday) demonstrates what is in my heart…and I am not pleased with myself.  “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.” Matthew 15:18. 

My heart needs work…and I’m guessing yours does too.  I may not know you, but I have talked to enough women to know that we often travel the same roads and experience the same struggles.  How is your heart looking?  Is your tongue burning and staining those around you (James 3:6)?  I challenge you to examine your words for a single day.  You may be quickly shocked like I was.  I don’t say this to shame you, just the opposite.  These written words of mine are meant to build you up and turn you to Christ; he is the only one who can do the work needed in your heart and mine.  It is a process, but one we should be intentionally active in. 
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Ladies, our mouths should be fountains of life to those around us (Proverbs 10:11).  Imagine what talking to each other would be like then!  Imagine the growth of our relationships (including our marriages)!  The results would be heavenly.  I for one am in.  Here is my simple prayer today and maybe it can be yours too: “Have your way in my heart, O Lord.  Fill me with your Word so that I may overflow with your grace.  Amen.”

We covered the Bible last week, so now let’s turn our attention to prayer.  It may seem difficult to eek out “extra” time to pray each day, but is that really what God is calling us to anyway?  The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing,” in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, that means non-stop.  So instead of waiting for imaginary “free time” to come, we need to be praying in the midst of our full and active lives.  To aim for this holy ideal (God’s standards are always perfect, anything less and he would not be God), we need to learn to make prayer a natural part of who we are, as much a part of our day as breathing.  This is a vital factor in our relationship with God.  Prayer helps us to practice and experience the closeness of having our loving Father with us at all times.  This incredible access is granted to us only through the actions of Jesus Christ (see Hebrews 10:19-20).  Here are some of my personal tips to encourage this life of prayer in women:

• Begin your morning with prayer. Let the first words out of your mouth be words to God.  Make this a habit for life.  Talk to God before getting out of bed.  It may start with a plea of, “God please help me!”  It will grow from there into praises.  This sets the tone for leaning on your Father for all things throughout the day.  “O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” Psalm 5:3.
• Have prayer zones. Decide to pray when you are doing certain activities or are in certain spaces: folding laundry, vacuuming, driving in the car, eating your lunch, in the shower, etc. You can even pray for specific people in these places (i.e. praying for each family member when folding their clothes) or use certain areas for prayers of thanksgiving and praise (i.e. the car).
• Understand the two-way conversation. God speaks to you through his Word, you speak to him in response.
• It doesn’t have to be long. Hear me now, you have official permission to pray short (yet sincere) prayers.  This is how we “pray without ceasing.” We are in a continual conversation with our Dad that never stops.  Prayer doesn’t have to look like going into our bedroom and spending an hour on our knees pouring out our hearts to God.  It also should be quick prayers for wisdom when you have to make a decision, a request of God for someone on your mind and times of spontaneous praise.
• But…still pray for long periods of time. Short prayers are okay, but don’t neglect the precious sacrifice of time.  DO go into your bedroom and spend an hour on your knees pouring out your heart to God sometimes.  Be intentional in setting aside longer periods of time to really get deep with God.  You will be amazed at the benefits reaped from sowing time in conversation with the Almighty Creator.  There is no one more fascinating to talk to!  Jesus is our example in both areas, he prayed both short prayers (Luke 11:41b-42, before calling Lazarus out of the tomb) and long prayers (John chapter 17 on the night he was arrested).
• Pray FIRST! Let prayer be your first action in all areas.  When you receive good news or bad news, have a decision to make or need wisdom, let prayer be your first resort not last.  Build the habit of turning to God in ALL things.  Teach this to your children.
• Pray when the request is made. It is too easy to agree to pray for someone and then forget as soon as you walk away.  Offer a prayer up right away after receiving the request so you do not forget and so that you are keeping your word.  You can pray at a later time as well.
• Pray always and in all ways. Don’t limit yourself to preconceived notions on how you think prayer should look.  Pray out loud and silently, eyes open and eyes closed, head bowed and eyes lifted to heaven, pray on your knees and standing tall with arms up, in joy and in grief, with others and all alone.  Just pray.

Ladies, talk with God.  In this simple act, we have access to the immense blessings of God as we enter into the holy place where he resides on his throne with Christ to his right interceding on our behalf.  This is overwhelming to think about.  He commands us to pray non-stop because it is the best thing for us to do.  What an amazing and generous Father we have! 
“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.” Psalm 145:18-19

Are you busy?  Of course you are!  And you always will be. There are no “calm” seasons of life so stop waiting for them – commit to reading the Bible.  I am cheering for you; here are some of my personal tips to help you out:

• Love your Bible. If you have one that you love already, great!  Use it.  If not, do the research and spend the money.  I like an English Standard Version with double columns and words large enough that I can read them easily.  I love study bibles that provide intros and insights. 
• Make a plan of attack. Many of you have already done this - you have a “Read the Bible in a Year” plan in hand or an app.  Good…but don’t let it rule you.  These plans work well for some but not for everyone (like me).  I prefer to finish a whole book before going onto the next one.  Whatever works for you, do it, but have a plan in place before you start.  There are 1189 chapters in the Bible, divide them up how you like (4 chapters a day and you will be done in October).  If you like lists, print a list that you can check off as you go.                I have often recommended this method: read a gospel first (Matthew, Mark, Luke OR John) and then start Genesis and read as far as you can beyond that.  When you get weary of the Old Testament, go back and read a book of the New Testament.  Continue to alternate OT and NT through the entire Bible.  Remember, just because you fail a plan doesn’t mean you fail the Bible.  If you miss a day or fall behind, pick up where you left off and keep reading.  The only fail is if you stop.
• Have dedicated reading time(s). I encourage morning reading.  My main Bible reading happens in the morning and at night right before I go to sleep.  I also read during the day but not as large of portions.  Make it so you don’t feel right if you skip it.
• Read your Bible in any mood. Read it when you are angry with your husband.  Read it when you are really excited.  Read it when you are broken.  Read it when you are ashamed of the sin you just committed.  Read it when you are feeling holy.  You always need it.
• Keep your Bible open all day. I keep my Bible out on the table and open all day long.  I have it open to whatever book I am reading at the time or a Psalm or Proverb.  Whenever I have time or am in need of a quick Word it is ready.  Excellent way to seek God during midday busyness. 
• Keep your Bible with you. I have a small Bible I keep in my car to read (or give away).  Take one to work with you, keep one at your desk, take one to appointments.  Your Bible is not bound to the house (or your bedroom), let it out once in a while!  It is a great witness to others (i.e. your kids). 
• Read your Bible continually asking what the passage tells you about God. He is the main character, not you.
• Expect confusion and questions. The best readers are the curious and disturbed (Why did this happen?).  Read expecting to not understand all of it, but knowing clarity will come with time.
• Mark it up. Read your Bible with a pencil in hand.  A mental connection occurs when you interact with the text using your pencil.  Underline, circle, add questions marks (my first Bible was loaded with them, I didn’t understand much).  This elevates Bible reading into Bible studying, and it also leaves a trail of your reading travels!
• Accept no excuses from yourself! Decide this is important (it is!) and discipline yourself in it.  If you can’t do four chapters at that moment, still do a verse or two.  Ladies, let me be real with you for a little bit here (I turn 40 next week, so I can speak freely now, right?).  At age 17 in the midst of turmoil, I made a commitment to read the Bible so I could figure out this God for myself.  That God took hold of me through his Word and has held me captivated ever since.  I have read the Bible as a struggling single mother, I have read the Bible as a frustrated new wife, I have read the Bible as an exhausted and weeping new mother, I have read the Bible in my moments of greatest joy and deepest grief.  I have found the most common obstacles are discontent with God and plain old laziness.  I’ve been there, I get it.  Command yourself to open the book and read.  Nothing else has this life-giving, voice of power, it is the single source.  “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:68.  Only God gives words that enter into your soul as you read them!   
• Finally, here is the plan that has worked for me for many years now: Read the Bible every single day and never stop…no exceptions…ever. What can I say, I like to keep things simple!  This strategy has caused me to read the Bible several times through and I can honestly say I love it more now than ever before.  It gets deeper and richer every time I read it.  I am more amazed at God and more in love with Jesus than ever before.  And I can’t wait to read it again.

Ladies, God is speaking to you loud and clear through his Word.  Lean in and listen every day.  “This I know, that God is for me.  In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.” Psalm 56:9-11.