"He will carry them close to His bosom, and tenderly lead like a shepherd the mother of her lambs."

“Like a bird protecting its young, God will cover you with His feathers, will protect you under His great wings: His faithfulness will form a shield around you, a rock-solid wall to protect you.” (Psalm 91:4)

“For the Eternal will be a shelter for those who know misery, a refuge during troubling times.” (Psalm 9:9)

“I am already in the soft embrace of the Eternal, so why do you beckon me to leave, saying, 'Fly like a bird to the mountains.” (Psalm 11:1)

“He will feed His fold like a shepherd; He will gather together His lambs – the weak and the wobbly ones – into His arms. He will carry them close to His bosom, and tenderly lead like a shepherd the mother of her lambs.” (Is. 40:11)

“The Eternal's beloved rests safely next to Him, protected all through the day, resting between His shoulders...The Eternal God is your shelter; He holds you up in His everlasting arms. He chased away your enemies ahead of you, shouting to you, 'Destroy them!'” (Deut. 33:12,27)

My littlest one usually runs 100 miles an hour most all the time. Then when it is time to go to bed after a wild and busy day, he smiles and tells me, “I'm going to stay up all night.” But in the morning before anyone else gets up, while he is still waking up, he comes and sits quietly in my lap. He curls himself up and cries “mommy” as I wrap my arms around him.

For a moment in his little storm tossed life, he closes his eyes and finds a quiet place of rest and refuge. In this moment, he receives that he is loved and cared for and can settle into this place. When he starts the day this way, his whole day seems to go a little better and he has less struggles.

Often we (speaking of me here) can go through our days busy getting things done. We go from task to task and event from event sometimes non-stop. But God always has a place on His lap for us. It is a place of rest and refuge from all our worries and troubles. A place where we can receive that we are loved and cared for and even settle into this. God wants to wrap His arms around us and tell us how deeply he loves us as we sit quietly in His arms. And when we start our days this way, the whole day goes better.

“For you are her children, and she is giving you the milk of comfort and peace... Like a toddler, you'll be held, carried, nourished, and comforted. As a mother soothes her child, so I will comfort you.”

Lord, You have everything we need. Help us to find our place of refuge and rest wrapped in Your loving arms.

Picture located at http://fbcjaxwatchdog.blogspot.com/2013/02/some-refreshing-words-for-weary-church.html