Hiding in the Cleft

For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock.   Psalm 27:5

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock 

That shadows a dry thirsty land, 

He hideth my life in the depths of His love 

And covers me there with His hand

And covers me there with His hand

Another great hymn sung at church today.  I am really growing to love those more and more.  As much as I enjoy rocking out in a more contemporary style, you can't really beat the depth and power of a hymn.  

"The cleft of the rock", makes me flash back to when I lived in Plymouth MA (you know, where the Pilgrims landed?) and how we used to practically live at the beach.  I used to walk alone down the shore, far far down, down past all the sand to the rocky places where there were no tourists.  That part of the beach was dangerous, with the remains of sharks or seals sometimes jammed into dark crevices.  Sharp and sometimes unstable rocks formed platforms and short walls.  Why I walked barefoot is beyond me, I was crazy I guess.  Running parallel with the ocean were boulders jumbled on top of each other, creating caves just big enough for a hobbit 13 year old.  I would find a good spot and huddle up in there and just hide.  Not because I was scared, but because it was comfortable and secure.  I loved that feeling.  

As I was singing this morning, I got that same feeling, that feeling of "safeness" and security, even now I can almost hear the wind howling through the rocks and taste the salt in the air.  Wow, I love God.  He hides my soul safely in the cleft of the rock, just like how I used to hide myself in the clefts of the rock.  Only on steroids.  And for eternity.