Hidden in the Cleft of The ROCK!

Praise the Lord!!! I know it’s been a minute since I’ve written. I've been consumed the last three weeks with dance team responsibilities and making plans for my husband's birthday. Praise God for His grace that’s has literally escorted me the last few weeks. I must say that through it all the Lord has been good. I'm so thankful for His overwhelming demonstration of love towards me...our One Family Service and dance, Resurrection Sunday Dance, and Albert’s birthday week were above all I could have asked or thought. HE is so faithful!!!

During my time of “getting things done” the Holy Spirit was still speaking to my heart. I was doing my best to write things down here and there, but it will be a few days before I can totally download it all. I am purposing to put pen to paper, or should I say, fingers to keyboard every day this week (Pray for me y’all –lol). However, today I just wanted to share a scripture the Lord gave me back in January this year. I was thumbing through my journal and came across an entry that seem apropos to my today .

I don't often share from my journal, probably because many of the entries are very personal and intimate and are often times speaking directly to me. However, every once and a while I will share something that I feel may be a blessing to someone else or if I feel the Lord leading me to do so. The following was one of my shorter entries (mainly scripture verses), but I pray as you read the words that you will sense the gentle touch of the Holy Spirit. I know it brought encouragement and comfort to my heart and I pray that it will stir your heart toward Him as well. May you find peace and rest in His word today. Amen.

In early January 2009 the Holy Spirit led me to read Exodus 33. I remember as I reading it thinking to myself, “Lord, where are you going with this?” I soon found out (Praise God!). In this passage of scripture Moses speaking to God about leading His people on to the Promised Land. In the midst of getting instructions Moses ask the Lord to see His glory. Since this was not Moses’ first encounter with God. Moses had a close relationship with the Father God (read through Exodus when you have chance and see their relationship develop). He was well aware of God’s power, holiness and sovereignty. Yet, Moses wanted to know God even more deeply. He wanted to see His glory. 

"And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen."

After reading this passage the Spirit of the Lord said to me, “Provision is in the Cleft of The Rock!” And just as He had hid Moses in the cleft as means of protection, provision and as a means for him to view and experience His glory, he was doing the same for me. The Father was reassuring me that He had made provision for me in the cleft of The Rock, Jesus Christ. PRAISE GOD! Everything thing that I needed was and is in HIM (Jesus). His mercy is extended toward me in Jesus. His grace is extended toward me in Jesus. His love is extended toward me in Jesus. AND I can experience, view, take in, encounter, basque in, His glory in the Jesus….The Rock. What an awesome God we serve!!!!

You must understand how great of a gesture this was from the Father toward Moses. No man (in human form) could see the Father and live (Ex 33:20), but the Father, out His love for Moses, found a way to allow Moses to see a glimpse of His glory: He hid him in the cleft of the rock. How awesome of a God that would go through the trouble of showing him (us) His glory. And this was a only a glimpse of the provision He had in store for us through the shed blood of His son, Jesus Christ (still displaying and demonstrating His love toward us). My spirit began to rejoice as I realized that the same was true for you and me this day. The Father, who loves us beyond words, was doing whatever was necessary for me to experience His glory and provision. SELAH.

Please understand that this word came at a time in my life when life seemed to be overwhelming me. There was so much that was happening, and seemingly not happening, in my life at that time. And the enemy was working hard to discourage me: inundating me with thoughts of abandonment and failure. He (Satan) was working hard to convince me that the Father had forgotten and abandoned me. Now, of course, I knew that wasn't true, but I tell you what, it sure did FEEL like it. And if you’re honest with yourself, you feel that way too at times: Like the Father has forgotten about you…don’t even know your name.

Praise God for the Spirit of the Lord that lives in us, that leads us into all TRUTH. And the truth is, that HE will never leave us nor forsake. The truth is that He loves His children (and we are His). The truth is that God is in control and that there is nothing that is happening (or not happening) in our life that He doesn’t know about. It’s in those times that we must tap into the Spirit of God: Rely on Him and not our emotions. We should never allow our emotions (soulish realm) to dictate our actions and responses: the enemy will trip us up every time.

I am so thankful today for the word of God. I’m thankful that my Father loves me. I’m thankful for the Holy Spirit that lives in me. I’m thankful that I AM HIDDEN in the cleft of the THE ROCK, JESUS CHRIST. Hallelujah!!! Be blessed today.

My Love Song to HIM! Dorothy C.