Fully Redeemed
a covering over us
Psalm 37:31
Years ago, my husband and I were given two gigantic quilts and at the time they were simply something to be folded and placed in our wooden chest. I grew up in a small town in Kansas and quilts were prolific, so while it was appreciated, this gift wasn’t particularly significant to me.
A few years ago during a remarkably cold winter, I pulled one out and washed it with a laundry soap that my mom used to use - to remind me of home.
I felt warmth, comfort, and safety.
As I have been writing these stories to share, I could tell what God was doing with the idea of “quilt” that he gave me at the onset of this project.
While I was pregnant with my fourth child, I had a season of doubt about how four kids was really going to play out, my hands were full with three! I struggled with unfounded fears, things that didn’t even really have any part of our reality. As I was sitting and praying one day in my living room, the Holy Spirit led to me invision placing my fears in a heap, He then very clearly showed me that He took a blanket and threw it over my fears, three times. This was powerful to me, but what came next astounded me.
Two weeks later, my youngest at the time had been struggling with nightmares. We had been talking him through Truths, praying with him, and encouraging him to simply say Jesus’s name when he was afraid. He was at the grocery store one day with my husband and very matter of factly stated that “last night dad, when I had a bad dream, well, Jesus came up the stairs to my bedroom and sat on my bed. He took my blanket and put it over the monster three times and it was gone.”(paraphrased)
A blanket covering. Protection. Three times (significant in its own right).
After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in Genesis, God covered their bodies so they wouldn’t feel ashamed. After Jesus was born, He was swaddled in a blanket for warmth. When Jesus died on the cross, this was for the covering of our sins.
Atonement.
The Hebrew word kaphar means "to cover over," but is frequently translated as atonement. And, look at that, it even sounds similar to “cover”.
Jesus’s death is our covering, our Redemption.
My redemption is found in the moments each when when anxious thoughts are wiped away. Brinn’s is found in her life being consistently built on Peace. Paige’s started with the birth of her sweet baby girl. Chelsea’s redemption began with the surrender of her marriage and seeing that God would carry her and Luke’s was seeing the shift in his heart when he encountered triggering moments from his past.
It’s all the same God and all the same Redemption but it looks different in how we experience it. He knew how one person would hear and how one would see and He gives them specific sounds and tastes to connect with Him. He designed our stories like a beautiful tapestry! A blanket covering us with His Redeeming Love!
Further thoughts:
What’s next for you? Big picture first! Dream! What’s holding you back? What needs redemption in your life?
Surrender that thing.
Watch Him do His thing.
Keep watching.
Just keep watching!
He wants us fully free, not just partially. So, when dreaming of freedom, it doesn’t have to just be the issues that are clearly bondage - it can be further healing in an area that’s already been tended to. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to what God desires to be free (and His) in this journey towards Perfect Holiness.
Whatever verses you choose to meditate on - it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you do it! Scripture is our most powerful tool against the enemy. “Psalm 37:31 NLT “They have made God’s law their own, so they will never slip from His path.”
What an honor it has been to write these with God. I feel connected to you all in a powerful way that only God has the power to orchestrate. Thank you for trusting the Spirit within me.
Prayer:
Jesus, Jesus, you DO make the darkness tremble. Your sacrifice has the power to wipe away every speck of brokenness in our lives and make us NEW every morning. You have woven our stories together with David’s and Paul’s. You have woven our story with Your story. Who are we that you are mindful of us, that you choose to Redeem us through and through. Help us never forget the price of your sacrifice and the Great Love you have for us all. Help us to see and feel and taste and hear your blanket over us. Amen