As I awoke to start the day around 5 AM, I immediately noticed how dark it is this time of morning.

Looking out my kitchen window, I thought of how much I love to start the day anticipating and witnessing a “breakthrough” of dawn with the Lord when it comes.

I realized how much I love the whole process from the dark all the way into the breakthrough of the dawn. How there is something to sitting at my table in the dark, well, except for my lamp, and spending time with the Lord in that “before the dawn” time. It’s like we’re going through this together, me and the Lord, waiting for the break of dawn. A time of anticipation leading to the glorious breakthrough of the light of day.

As I whispered Psalm 91 aloud this morning, it felt almost as if I was reading it to all of creation around me… “look at my God, see who He is, how great He is….how He protects me from harm, He’s got my back, I have nothing to fear in this darkness, I am His. His angels are surrounding us, carrying us through. He hears me and answers me. He is with me. I am His daughter and He gives me the authority to be able to proclaim this covenant to all creation around me!”

The Lord has been drawing me deeper into Psalm 91 again lately. I am seeing into this passage things that I’ve never taken notice of before.

Verse 3 and verse 16 are really standing out to me today especially,

“Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler”

Have you ever stepped into these “snares” that the enemy carefully and strategically hides in attempt to take us down? These snares can really do some damage if we let them. It can take some time to get back on track after stepping into one of these.

This morning I was thinking about how the Lord has helped me to spot these dangerous snares –to quickly see them and be able to do something about them without getting caught or harmed. Certain things that would have taken me down before, how He has helped me to more quickly recognize them now.

Last night there was a particular snare set before me. I felt the sting of something, and thankfully I was able to quickly recognize this snare before getting caught in it –I said a quick “oh heck no, I see what you’re trying and this daughter of the King says no” and I carried on.

I’ve been caught by this particular snare in the past.

When I stepped into this particular “snare” a few months ago the Lord gave me a dream that very night. I woke up from the dream, sat down with the Lord and asked Him to walk me through what it meant, and He gave me the interpretation immediately. I knew exactly what it meant, what was attempted, and what was intended. He loved me enough to warn me and knock some sense into me rather quickly. As they say, “ain’t nobody got time for dat” 😉

My eyes were opened to what happens when we step into certain snares. The destruction they can cause, the harm we can do to ourselves in trying to get out of them. How important for us to be able to recognize them and not get caught in them to begin with. I’m so thankful that He showed that to me.

And you know, there are many different kinds that are placed before us. But…

“Surely He shall deliver me from the snare of the fowler…”

He offers that to us and He will show us when there is a snare before us, but it’s up to us to listen to Him and follow His steps.

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The other verse that is jumping out at me today is verse 16:

“With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”

He will show us His salvation. We will SEE and experience His salvation in our lives.

Delivered, protected, answered, honored, satisfied, and blessed.

And then when our journey is over, we will step into eternity knowing and understanding the fullness of His salvation. His faithfulness.

Do you know there was a time when I couldn’t bare to think of death? I couldn’t bare to think of coming face to face with the Lord because I didn’t want to meet Him in the state I was in. I actually used to be terrified that He would return before I had faced some issues in my life that I wanted so badly to overcome in my lifetime and yet it seemed so impossible and unlikely at the time. I cried out to Him and asked Him to help me, that He would transform me into who I was intended to be.

I’ve discovered that He was right there ready to start the journey with me all along, and that it was up to me to take that first step to get moving. Somehow I was able to take that first step that turned into this journey, this “adventurous trail” that I am now taking with the Lord.

When I am facing hardships, challenges, difficult or impossible tasks, all I have to do is be thankful that He’s not left me in my mess. I am reminded that all of this is to bring me into the fullness of who I was created to be. He’s not given up on me, and He wants to show me what His salvation looks like…. here and now!

My seasons are changing rapidly these days. He’s changing me quickly. Won’t let me stay at any one place too long. My journals are filling up quicker than ever.

It’s interesting how each journal has represented a different “season” in my life. The journal I currently have is sort of almost an “in-between” journal –it’s not really my favorite, and it’s a little smaller than I usually like a journal to be, in fact I already have a new journal ready to go after this one is finished that I am really looking forward to –but I am being careful not to waste any of the pages.

I noticed yesterday that this particular journal is almost finished, there are only a few pages left. I wonder how the Lord will finish out this season in my life and where the next one will go…

By now, as I look out the window I see the most glorious pink winter sky –the sun is ready to burst through at any moment. Here it comes…

–Heather