Surrounded Always

I recently made a trip to Jekyll Island in Georgia. My wife had been planning this trip for several months. It’s a small island off the east coast of Georgia and known as a barrier island. It is only about 7 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. It is surrounded by intercostal waterway on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. We had a blast riding bikes and relaxing on this beautiful island. There were bike trails everywhere and we rode just about all of them. It didn’t feel small, but after riding around the whole island, I learned that the trail around the outside of the island was 16 miles – 2 miles shorter than the Carrollton Greenbelt. There are times when being surrounded and feel tight and smothering. There are other times when it’s just good to know where the boundaries are.

Isaiah speaks to the nation of Israel about how things will soon be after they come out of captivity. He reminds them of God’s restoration and His Presence with them. Check this out….

I will make peace your leader
    and righteousness your ruler.
¹⁸ Violence will disappear from your land;
    the desolation and destruction of war will end.
Salvation will surround you like city walls,
    and praise will be on the lips of all who enter there.

¹⁹ “No longer will you need the sun to shine by day,
    nor the moon to give its light by night,
for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light,
    and your God will be your glory.
²⁰ Your sun will never set;
    your moon will not go down.
For the Lord will be your everlasting light.
    Your days of mourning will come to an end. (Isaiah 60:17b-20 NLT)

There are days when I feel surrounded by the enemy. The Lord doesn’t leave me, but it can “feel” like the enemy is stronger and more powerful. I find myself singing a little chorus that I heard recently…. “It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by you”. The other part of that song says: “This is how I fight my battles…” This little chorus came from a spontaneous time of worship at UpperRoom. Here is the full song: Surrounded (Fight My Battles)by Upperroom. The Presence of God in my heart provides the boundaries and the power to keep the enemy away from my heart. The Presence of God in my heart provides peace to lead me in the middle of disarray and chaos.

I want to keep learning to welcome Him into my heart and to surround my life with His Presence. I want the Lord to buffer the world and protect my heart from the enemy who longs to sneak in and destroy the peace and hope that the Lord brought.

Pressing On!

Dwayne