He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. (Psalms 91:1, 4 NKJV)

Do you ever feel exposed, un-covered, vulnerable? I know I have. The main fear of women is being unsafe in any/all areas of life. Above all we want to feel safe, secure and taken care of. We go from being taken care of by our parents to being taken care of by our husbands. I know that’s how it was for me anyway. After 30 years of marriage it is scary being on my own. God is working with me in this area. Soon after I came back to the area God gave me a close circle of friends, that I spent a lot of time with, who helped me deal with problems that would arise. But now it feels like He is slowly separating me from them. Some are recently married, some have moved or are moving, and the rest are just really busy. I feel like He is setting me apart to be completely dependent on Him. Right now it feels uncomfortable but I know that as I grow stronger in Him I will learn to rely on Him on a much deeper level.

Recently, during prayer with a few friends, The Lord told my friend that He had some instruction for me. She said that The Lord said 1) there was tempering to be done in me 2) leave behind the anxieties of yesterday 3) be patient because He is changing things in me and teaching me and 4) I am a woman of God. I didn’t exactly know what tempering meant so I looked it up.

Tempering:1) to dilute, qualify, or soften by the addition or influence of something else- moderate. 2) to exercise control over. To cause to be well disposed-mollify.

So to me that confirms my recent realization that I am being set apart I equate it to being on a shelf. I believe He is gently moving into a place where I can begin to rely on Him and Him alone. Isn’t it interesting to see how He treats us differently depending on our own insecurities or individual proclivities? How He knows us intimately. He knows where we need work in order to have the character and maturity to fulfill our destiny for the Kingdom. I just have to open up and be willing to let Him do what needs to be done. To change and mold me like the potter does to the clay.

Thank you Lord for your loving kindness. You meet me exactly where I am with all my faults and shortcomings. You are my trustworthy potter and I am Your willing clay.