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So we've all heard of praying for protection and we do. We pray for protection for ourselves,

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for our loved ones. But have you ever heard of praying, sorry, worshipping for protection?

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Well, I'm going to tell you a story of just that and what happened. Welcome to 1224 by

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Worship Transforms where we want to empower you to live your best life through biblical

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inspiration and through connecting with Jesus in at least 12 minutes of meditative worship.

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Why 12 minutes? Well, research has shown that meditating on a good God for 12 minutes has

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the ability to form new healthy neural pathways in our brains. That's new healthy ways of thinking

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that align with the one that we're focused on. And when we combine that with music,

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well, those neural pathways become stickier and able to stay around longer. So a few months ago,

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I was in my kitchen and I was cooking, which I love to do. And I looked outside my window and

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on the deck railing right outside my window was this beautiful hawk. It was just hanging out

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there. And I thought, Oh, my word, I have got to get my phone so I can show my family this. And

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as I grabbed it, I looked the hawk was doing something I was not thrilled about. It was eating

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my herbs. How many of you like to garden? I am an avid gardener and I love my herbs. So I don't

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like when critters eat them. And so I'm like, All right, I've got to go out there and get that hawk

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out of my parsley. So I very carefully opened the door and went outside thinking, of course,

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the hawk's going to fly away. And it didn't, it just hung out there. And so I thought, All right,

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what do I do now? And honestly, I was a little intimidated because it was only about eight feet

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from me to that hawk. And, you know, hawks have sharp beaks and talons. And I didn't want those

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anywhere close to me. So I also then asked the Lord, All right, it's not every day that a hawk

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comes right there on my deck. In fact, I've never seen it before. Lord, is there something you want

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me to notice about this? Anything you want to tell me by this amazing hawk being here? And I really

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was reminded of how hawks are predators, right? And they go after their prey. They've got an amazing

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eyesight and this view, we're pretty high up. So they've got this view and they can see the whole

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landscape in front of them and go after what they want. And I thought, Well, I don't want it going

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after me. But I also know that's the way I want to be when I'm praying for something, when I'm

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maybe battling something for myself or for my family, I want to know what to go after. And I

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just felt impressed to right then begin to worship the Lord for protection for my family and for

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myself for any predators that might come against us. And so I did. I right there when that hawk was

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there, I began to sing about being resurrected with Jesus, being protected by the blood of Jesus,

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being a child of God. And you know what? That hawk just hung out the whole time, just kind of looked

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at me and did his thing. And after about 10 minutes, he finally flew away. And I went back inside. And

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I got this phone call right when I went back inside. And it was my mom. And my mom doesn't

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usually call me on the phone anymore because well, she's got dementia. And boy, it's a brutal,

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brutal disease. My mom is such an amazing woman. She is just still so full of beauty. And my dad

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is such a wonderful husband and father as he cares for my mom. But so my mom, I get this call

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from my mom on my dad's phone and she says, Lori, you've got to come pick us up because we were

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just in a terrible car accident. And immediately I'm like, well, mom, are you okay? And she said,

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I don't know. I said, okay, well, at least I knew she was talking, right? So that's, that's a good

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first step. And I said, well, how about dad? Is he okay? And she said, well, he's alive. How many of

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you know that's not really what you want to hear? I mean, I'm don't get me wrong. I'm super glad

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he was alive, but that's the only information I had. So not really comforting. Well, just then

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someone else takes the phone and it's our friend Gail. She's a family friend. And Gail, how are you

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doing? And she said, yeah, Lori, your parents have been in a terrible car accident. But they're

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okay. Thank you. Thank you. And the other car flipped twice. And I actually talked to the driver.

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And that's what she's telling me. I talked to the driver and the driver said, I have no doubt. I

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know there were angels there protecting us. She walked away unscathed after that car flipped

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twice. And my parents were completely fine. That car hit right on the wheelbase at the driver's

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side. If it hit hit an inch or two behind where it hit, it would have decimated my dad's legs and

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done who knows what to the car like spun it around or I don't know what. It was just soaked God's

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grace. And Gail being there, she was just happened to be driving by at a time she never usually goes

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by that place. And as she was driving by, they closed off the road. She was actually the last car

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to get through before they completely closed it. And as she was driving by, she noticed it was my

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parents sitting by the side of the road. And she immediately stopped and got out and told me, Lori,

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I'll wait with them for the two hours it's going to take you to get here. And she did. She waited

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for two hours and I was so grateful for God's protection over their lives that I realized as I

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rushed to my car to make the drive that the time that I was there praying, worshiping over my family

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and when that hawk was there was right about the time my parents had that accident. And I was so

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grateful that I paid attention to the Holy Spirit's prompting. And it's such a good reminder to do

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that. Because he is communicating to us all the time. And something so innocuous as a hawk

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there on your deck could be indication that he's got something more to say to you. So I'm really

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excited today because we are going to worship through Psalm 91. And it's one of my very favorite

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Psalms. I love this Psalm. It's a beautiful picture of the person who finds their refuge in the Lord.

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And their shelter in him. I first wrote the first half of this meditation actually at the beginning

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of COVID when we were all sheltered in place. Remember that? Hiding in our homes. And I realized

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that he was my shelter in place. I didn't have anything to be afraid of. And though we're trying

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to whip up a bunch of fear, we didn't have to be afraid because we knew who our protector is.

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And here's the thing I want us to remember too. You know, we can pray for protection and it's so

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important that we do that. But it's so powerful when we declare Scripture. That's what Jesus did

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in the garden. When, not the garden, sorry, in the desert when he was being tempted.

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And the accuser was trying to get him to follow after him. And Jesus didn't use just his own words.

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No, he used Scripture. Well, he is the word. But he quoted Scripture back to the accuser. And that's

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what we want to do. But unless it's hidden in our heart, we won't be able to do that. It's,

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sure, we can pray, but we won't be able to have his words to declare. So honestly, that's one of

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the reasons I've been so passionate about getting this project out there because that's how I

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memorized Scripture. I put it to music. And when I sing it over and over, that melody with the words

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comes back to me when I need it. And I'm able to declare that. I'm able to pray through that. And

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that's what I want you to be able to do. So after I post the divos with the worship meditation, I will

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also post just the worship meditation. So you can come back to that again and again if you want to.

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So you can get it in your way of thinking, get his word in your heart in an easy way

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for that to happen. Hey, if you know someone else who would benefit from that, would you please

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share this with them? We appreciate your liking and subscribing and getting the word out there.

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And let us know how God has been working in your life through this. So Holy Spirit,

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we just thank you for the opportunity to meditate on you, Father, to meditate on your word. Jesus,

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you are the word. So Holy Spirit, we just invite you to come.

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So

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My hiding place, my present hope and confidence

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You are my protector that I run to

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My true shelter in place, my rescue

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I won't be afraid of things in the night

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No disease in the dark or fears by daylight

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Your faithfulness is my armor and your promise is my shield

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Though all thousand may fall around me I know I'm safe in you here

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Take me to your shelter where you live on high

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I rest in your shadow, it all should die

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Hear my cry in the trial, I'm never alone

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When I call you a lancer and you I am home

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You are my protector that I run to

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My true shelter in place, my rescue

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I won't be afraid of things in the night

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No disease in the dark or fears by daylight

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Your faithfulness is my armor and your promise is my shield

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Though all thousand may fall around me I know I'm safe in you here

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I was you on abandon, that's not who you are

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I'm fixed on your goodness and held in your heart

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Hear my cry in the trial, I'm never alone

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When I call you a lancer and you I am home

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You are my protector that I run to

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My own shelter in place, my rescue

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So I won't be afraid of things in the night

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No disease in the dark or fears by daylight

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Your faithfulness is my armor and your promise is my shield

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Though all thousand may fall around me I know I'm safe in you here

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So I won't be afraid of things in the night

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No disease in the dark or fears by daylight

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Your faithfulness is my armor and your promise is my shield

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Though all thousand may fall around me I know I'm safe in you here

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Here

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If you make the Lord your refuge

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Make the most high your shelter No evil will conquer you

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No plague will come near your home If you make the Lord your refuge

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No evil will conquer you No plague will come near your home

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If you make the Lord your refuge

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If you make the Lord your refuge

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For here you will order His angels protect you wherever you go

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They will hold you up with their hands You won't even hurt your foot on a stone

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He will order His angels protect you wherever you go

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They will hold you up with their hands You won't even hurt your foot on a stone

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If you make the Lord your refuge

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Make the most high your shelter

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The Lord says I will rescue those who love me

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Protecting those who trust in my name

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When they call on me I'll answer I will be with them in trouble

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Rescue in honor and reward them with a long life

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And give them my salvation

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The Lord says I will rescue those who love me

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Protecting those who trust in my name

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When they call on me I'll answer I will be with them in trouble

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Rescue in honor and reward them with a long life

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And give them my salvation

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My salvation

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I'll be their protector

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You're my protector

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I'll be their protector

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Thank you Jesus, that we can count on you to protect us

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When we call on your name, when we make you our refuge

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When we make you the most high our shelter

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So we do that right now

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Jesus remind us to come back to this over and over again

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So we continue to make you our refuge

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We cry out that for our loved ones as well, Jesus,

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which you protect them.

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Make them your refuge.

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Send your angels to guard and protect us.

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That we might serve you all of our days

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and love you as you loved us.

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May you go in the goodness of God.