I will raise my eyes to the mountains;
From where will my help come?
My help [comes] from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who watches over you will not slumber.
Behold, He who watches over Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your protector;
The LORD is your shade on your right hand.
The sun will not beat down on you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The LORD will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time and forever.
Psalm 121:1-8 NASB
On March 23, 1995, I was ministering at a conference when God spontaneously dropped a song from His point of view into my heart - and the song still rings true and through my heart to this day. The reason this song still stirs my soul deeply to this day is that it came spontaneously during a ministry time at a retreat center near Orlando, Florida.
While sharing my story and leading worship at a ministry conference for those desiring to step out of and overcome same sex attraction, the keynote speaker taught on destiny and anointing in such a way that God brought me personally to a greater level of healing in my own heart than I even realized I had needed!
God had chosen me and even anointed me for ministry at an early age…yet the enemy had perverted my giftings and perceptions of myself to the point that I had allowed my God-given strengths to be overshadowed by the enemy-inspired weaknesses of my flesh. As the minister spoke, God inspired me with the truth of this song. I quickly jotted down the words and I sang it there on the spot that day in almost the exact form it appears on my recording called No Life Too Small.
That song is called Watching Over You and is a song from God’s perspective of us. The following passage from the Psalms reminds me of the healing balm of the song:
One who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will lodge in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!"
For it is He who rescues you from the net of the trapper
And from the deadly plague.
He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may take refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and wall.
You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
Of the plague that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that devastates at noon.
A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
[But] it shall not approach you.
You will only look on with your eyes
And see the retaliation [against] the wicked.
For you have made the LORD, my refuge,
The Most High, your dwelling place.
No evil will happen to you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.
For He will give His angels orders concerning you,
To protect you in all your ways.
Psalm 91:1-11 NASB
God desires to take our greatest weaknesses and use them for His glory by showing us His strength. He can even take our failures and redeem them to the point that they become vessels of His glory as they testify to His redeeming love and power. Jesus Himself said we would do greater things than He did. How? By walking in the truth which we were created to walk in.
[Make sure that] your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER ABANDON YOU," so that we confidently say, "THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?” Hebrews 13:5-6 NASB
Let’s do this. Let’s be quick to remind our own souls - every day - multiple times a day - that we are never alone…and that our Father is constantly watching over us. I recommend that you listen to the song Watching Over You a couple of more times today…and in the days to come. It really will do your soul good.
Dennis Jernigan
Hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this blog along with the song at https://www.patreon.com/posts/watching-over-76999172
Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2019/06/08/12/24/father-4260027_1280.jpg