Dress Clothes and Cookies
“You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope.” Psalm 119:114
I grew up with four older brothers. If there’s one thing my brothers were known for, it was practical jokes. One time two of them came to dinner without shirts on. Immediately, my dad told them to go back upstairs and get dressed for dinner. They went up with the intention of throwing on a couple of t-shirts but instead found some old clothes Mom had collected for a garage sale. After a few minutes, the two of them returned dressed to the nines with fancy shirts, shoes, ties, and even hats. My dad could hardly get mad at them since he did tell them to get dressed for dinner.
Another practical joke I remember happened between the same two brothers. Mom would always make cookies to put in the lunch boxes of the two youngest. The two older brothers were notorious for sneaking a few cookies in hopes mom wouldn’t notice. But mom was on to them, so she would hide the cookies (sometimes in the strangest places) in an attempt to deter the two culprits. This time she chose her bedroom closet. My brothers, who could sniff out cookies like a couple of bloodhounds at a hundred yards, found the cookie cash while Mom was doing laundry in the basement.
The two of them concocted a plan to sneak a few cookies in hopes Mom wouldn’t notice. One brother would be the cookie thief while the other would stand guard. They agreed that the watchman would whistle if Mom began making her way up the stairs. It was a perfect plan, except that when she started up the stairs, the one standing guard thought it would be fun to prank the other and let him get caught (literally) with his hand in the cookie jar.
Although my brothers enjoyed a good practical joke from time to time, when things got serious, they could always count on one another. I guess you could say they always had each other’s back.
Sometimes, when life gets challenging, it’s good to know that someone has your back. Psalm 119 says of the Lord, “You are my refuge and my shield.” A refuge is a safe place you can run to. No matter what life throws your way, you can always run to God for refuge. Sometimes, when your back’s against the wall, the only words you can pray are, “Lord, help me.” God hears the cry of your heart even when circumstances are too difficult for words. When it seems that the enemy is closing in, you can turn to God’s word for encouragement and hope. His word brings life. Your back may be against the wall, but God always has your back.