He Knows Our Future

This has always been one of my very fave Old Testament Scriptures from that major prophet known as "the weeping prophet" and who has the most words (highest word count) in the book he was inspired by God to write.  (Jeremiah)

One reason I love this Scripture is because once we know God as our Father, Savior, Redeemer...whatever adjective you  connect with....we can begin to trust Him.  We can have confidence in the plans He has for us:

 

Not only can we have confidence in the plans He has for us, but we can have confidence in our future.  Of course He doesn't typically reveal the  future to us, anymore than a psychic can reveal the future to us. But with a psychic, one pays money to have their palm read or whatever they do (I've never gone as I believe it's a form of witchcraft and being a Christ follower I refuse to open up my soul to that), and they are almost always wrong. No human can predict the future accurately! Only God knows our futures....and knowing God's will for us, is free!! 

Sometimes He reveals something to us in preparation for our future, though.  I have many example of this. 

 For instance, in the summer of 1977, when I was 17 and about to enter my senior year of high school, I was dating a boy named David who was 2 years younger than me. He was my sister Joy's age and we were all in youth group together. I was practicing piano in the sanctuary of our little Free Methodist church in the central part of NYS, and David was doing homework or something. I remember I was working on my college audition music.  David had left to go to his house for something...he literally lived a half block from the church and the church was on the edge of the town park so we always cut through the park  to his porch. I was alone in the sanctuary.....a relatively new Christian as I had given my heart to Jesus the summer of 1975 at age 15. But some major crap happened just 4 days after I became a Christian (I won't go into it here) and let's just say I was holding God at  arm's length.  I loved Jesus and totally embraced Him as my Savior Redeemer. But seeing God as Father  and not judge was a whole lot more difficult for me at that time in my life.  

Anyways, I was alone in the sanctuary with the ceiling fans on and all of a sudden I heard this still small Voice....it wasn't an audible Voice.....rather, it was a fleeting thought that said "you're going to marry a man named David". 

Now, blogging friends, let me tell you:  I had no desire to be married any time soon.  I was only 17, was going to an awesome Christian college the next year and hopefully would be a piano major/Music Ed major if I passed my audition.  I had plans!  NO WAY did I want to get married before I was 30. No way.  I kind of laughed and thought, "well the current David is practically like a brother to me, and there's no way I am going to marry him".  Funny thing is, my very first boyfriend in 8th grade (my parents would only let me group date when I was 14) was named David. No way would I have wanted to marry him either. 

So....the weird fleeting words I "heard" in my spirit just sorta floated right by me.  But I did tell an older friend of mine named Carol and she, being an older Christian and someone I really admired, told me if it was really God, then it would come to pass. 

I never really thought about it again.  I dated a guy named Javier on and off my first year of college.  My 2nd year of college I had a couple of dates with a guy named Steve and another guy named Brian. They were both older music majors and super nice guys but just for casual dating.  In my junior year until half-way through my last year of college, I dated a guy named Steven. Again, just casual boyfriend...we knew we weren't serious.  

Fast forward to 1988 and I meet a wonderful young man, a grad student, in a city church I was attending.  I had finished grad school, was settled in the Albany, NY area and teaching full time as a Master teacher of special needs prek children in inner city Albany. I loved life. Spiritually, I was growing a bit by attending a very good small group and getting to know other single people in that church.  The grad student I met??  Dave.  My now husband. 

We got engaged in 1989 and I remembered what God said.  I told Dave.  He said it was definitely God preparing me for the future. 

The cool thing?  I always wondered if I  would actually get married.  As a childhood sexual abuse survivor I didn't think I   "deserved" marriage (those feelings are a whole other, deeper topic I won't go into here right now). 

But God knew.  God knew who I was going to marry before I even desired it. 

The confidence I gained from knowing God did indeed have a plan for me is what helped me get through my lonely late 20s.   

How old was I when I got married?  Six months into being 30 years old.  God even gave me the desire of my heart.

What are you trying to trust God with?

Give it to Him in prayer and know you can have the confidence to trust Him with your future. 

 

Listening to the Silence

 

No, I didn't dress like this on Thursday and head up a mountain summit. I just loved the image with the quote. 

I was walking on this, 

bundled up in winter hiking leggings, a wick away shirt, a sweater, a down jacket, a wool scarf and hat, fingerless gloves (it was 37 degrees F as opposed to the 17 degrees F the day before at the same time....around 11 AM), winter trekkers and a pair of hiking socks and one hiking pole. I had a large water bottle waiting for me in the car. No backpack needed as I was just walking in the town park on the bike path and a wooded trail and only planning on walking about 2 miles as I had some errands to run. 

Thankfully there was no ice under the snow.  No microspikes were needed although I do keep them in the trunk with my hiking poles and an extra hat and gloves. 

On my lawn, in the front yard, we have large patches of brownish grass. There's not been much snow except the couple of inches that fell earlier in the month and that the town didn't plow here at the  town park on our north side of town which is close to where I live. In December they had plowed a piece of this trail.  This time they didn't bother. 

I loved being the only person on the trail.   

My car was the only one in the lot, although I did see a car parked in the lot next to the town pool but never saw a human being. 

I saw bunny prints. I heard and saw blue jays, cardinals, a nuthatch, a woodpecker. 

I saw droppings of deer and bunny. 

I saw a large hawk circling overhead perhaps looking for the mice or bunny. 

And all around me were the trees standing silent. 

I only took my phone out to send a quick marco polo to this friend at the very beginning of my walk and then to just snap a few pics. I kept it nice and warm in my jacket pocket. 

There's just something about the snowy  silence that speaks to my soul. 

I was thinking about this Scripture as I walked: 

"In Your Presence is fullness of joy" ~Psalm 16:11~

And I realized that while walking on the snow in the silence of the woods with no other humans around me, I did have joy.  I did feel like I was in the Presence of God. I'm not one to usually embrace Winter but as I've been retired now from teaching for the last 2 years going on 3, I've learned that there's a beauty to this part of God's creation that I just never appreciated before. I'd rush off to work, run to do grocery shopping afterwards, stay in where it's warm, and do chores and then repeat. When the girls were little I would send them outdoors to play in the snow and they loved it, or as a family we would go sledding at the nearest elementary school where there is a good sized hill, but for the most part, we stayed indoors during the long months of January and February.  

I've come to appreciate silence. Especially the silence of a snowy walk. It is in the silence that I hear.  I listen to the thoughts inside my head and if they're negative I cast them to the wind. I listen to the things God is whispering to my soul.  Listening to the sounds of nature all around me. Learning to have confidence in what I'm hearing.....like the prompting to pray for a dear friend who is struggling with her mental health. To have confidence in just walking on snow and not worry about any physical pain in my cervical spine. Motion is lotion, after all! 

To appreciate the way the shadows move across the land and sky when the sun disappears......and the confidence knowing it will return. The sun does return. 

Just like the Son will return one day......and our darkness will turn to Light, and the Winter will turn to Summer....and all will be restored.

 Just like walking in the fresh winter air is restorative to my body  so does time with my Creator restore my soul. 

With Confidence

 

Have you ever wondered if what you are reading is accurate information? I'm thinking of the various online "news" sources, social media posts, commentaries on Scripture. 

I have.  I know the sites that I trust but I've often wondered if they're solid. (Biblically speaking).  I am talking about the ones explaining Scripture or  giving me cultural/historical context of the Bible passage. 

I think about these things because I am a small group Bible Study leader with my church.  I've been volunteering in this since 2011. I do enjoy it and I did take a Sabbatical one year to attend an evening class at the church so I could get "fed" my self.  It was back when I was teaching full time (special ed prek) and I honestly craved that evening time with other people learning the Word of God. 

Now, in this upcoming Winter semester, I have 7 ladies in the group and we are doing a study about how to study Scripture and find the main idea in the passage/verse. The book is on my side bar (Sweeter than Honey). Any book that a leader wants to use must be approved by our pastoral staff. It was approved and out of those 7 ladies, I have 3 who are rather new to reading the Word of God and new to Christianity. 

I don't always have the confidence that the online sources I point them to are legit or worthwhile. 

So this week, I emailed all 3 of our pastoral team: our senior pastor, the site pastor, and our Spiritual Formations Director who is the head of all the small groups, classes and ministries that people lead. He is currently working on his masters of theology from a seminary. He's quite smart as are the two pastors. I listed for them the various resources I have pointed people to:  Bible Gateway, BibleRef, Desiring God (A calvinist theology where I am more Arminian but John Piper is an awesome author and teacher so I like his website), Bible Hub, Christianity Today, Bible.org, StudyLight.org.  I asked them if these were all legit and for any recommendations they might have. 

And guess what??

They all got back to me and all of them said they are excellent resources and we can trust the commentary  from them. These pastors even use those resources themselves! One of them also recommended gotquestions.com and it's awesome. It literally has thousands of questions answered about the Bible or specific Scriptures. 

My confidence rose up and getting that confirmation from my 3 leaders really made my day. I'm thankful God put Dave and I in this  church with leaders who actually get to know us and care about how we run our small groups, etc. 

I'm learning to trust what God puts on my heart. I'm learning to listen to that still, small Voice. I don't want to put my confidence in mankind because we make mistakes. Now,  are all of these sources perfect? No.  They are sources written by men and women and none of us are perfect. Some might have different convictions about theology than I do.  But when my pastors say they trust them, they mean they are all Bible based. Some might have differing views politically and socially and that's ok.

  As long as they are Bible-based, I can point my study members to them with the understanding that some convictions and preferences might be different from ours.  The main thing is the essentials: the  core Biblical truths. 

God is teaching me to have confidence in leading.  I find it harder to lead/teach adults than little ones with special needs. But He has me doing this for a reason and I'm excited to have  some confidence in beginning this new study and learning more about how to study His Word, right along with the ladies. 

He will give me the emotional strength I need. And I thank Him for my leaders confirming my sources. 😊

Quiet Confidence

 

My "word of the year" is confidence. The scripture I'm basing it on is from Proverbs 14 (see sidebar), but today I'm meditating on the Scripture found in Isaiah 30:15 from the New Living translation:

"In quietness and confidence is your strength" 

I have seen so many secular quotes about confidence through the years.....some on social media, some in books or magazines.  Here's one I like but it's not totally true, is it?? 

Yes, it's important to "believe in yourself" but......how much better to believe in God, give your plans to Him so He can order your steps and then anything is possible with Him. When we do this, we can have that quiet confidence in ourselves. 

The above quote reminds me of Audrey Hepburn's quote (our family's favorite actress)

 

" Nothing is Impossible..the  word itself says I'm possible"~Audrey Hepburn 1929-1993~)

When we place our lives in Christ, He gives us the confidence we need to do the things He asks of us.  He is the Source of Strength.  With God all things are possible. There's nothing too hard for Him. When I'm living for an Audience of One, I'm confident. This is more true when we are living in His will and doing the things He purposes for us. 

I love these Scriptures that remind me of just Who God is and how He affects my life...my plans...my dreams....

 

 

and this

Those are the Scriptures I'm meditating on this week. 

As I move into January and the new year of 2026, I am hoping to gain confidence in sharing my story.....in sharing what Christ has done for me.....mainly with family members who don't know Him in a personal way.....who don't lean on God through the  difficult times....who sometimes have even cursed God.....

I have the tools.......

now for that quiet  confidence. 

2026 GOALS

 

Definition of the word "resolution": a firm decision to do or not to do something. 

Definition of the word "Goal": the result or achievement towards which effort is directed. 

I've never been one to make resolutions for the new calendar year because they're so easily broken.  Because I've been trained in grad school to write IEPs (Individual Education Plans for special needs children or adults), I've tended to set goals with objectives for my self. As I've become older, now I just have generalized goals.  Here are mine for the new year, 2026. I actually met most of last year's goals minus two: I wanted to read 60 books this past year, but instead the number is 58.5 HA! and I wanted to host one couples game night and that also did not happen.  Oh well....here's to another year!

 PERSONAL PHYSICAL GOALS

• HIKE ON NEW-to-ME TRAILS: one in the Adirondacks, one in the Catskills, and one in Vermont. 

• WALK 2.5 MILES either Nordic style (new to me!) or brisk pace 4X WEEKLY

• COLLAGEN DAILY:  use 2 scoops of collagen daily in my morning coffee            

RELATIONAL GOALS

• CONTINUE TO HAVE DATE NIGHTS WITH DAVE  once a month

• MOM-DAUGHTER COFFEE/LUNCH/DINNER DATES:  Spring, Summer, Autumn

• MEET FRIENDS FOR COFFEE/LUNCH more often 

• PLAN AND HOST A GAME NIGHT this winter or spring

• PLAN a BEACH BASH BBQ for friends/family 

SPIRITUAL/MENTAL/EMOTIONAL HEALTH GOALS

• CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE READING  (this is a daily devotional Bible)

• GO iPHONE FREE for one full day a month (decided on the first Sunday of each month) 

• LEAD at least 2 women's small groups for 2026 (Sweeter than Honey plus one more)

• MEDITATION/PRAYER/YOGA STRETCHES every morning

Hopefully I will meet at least most of these, if not all!

AND for those of you who missed it: my 2026 word of the year is Confidence based on Proverbs 14:26 (ESV)

WORD FOR 2026

 

This Scripture has me meditating on it throughout the last couple of days. 

In the warm sun sparkling on the snow a little  bit ago, I was out walking and thinking about how my confidence in my self has slipped somewhat when I'm around certain extended family members or when I'm dealing with an extended family situation.  And I realized.....wait a minute, Faith.....your confidence comes from the Lord. Don't allow others or Satan to steal your joy, your trust, your faith or your confidence. I'm probably not explaining myself well right now but I believe my "Word of the Year" for this new year is going to be Confidence and this Scripture will be my Scripture of the Year. I've been doing this since 2014.  

Past years, my words have been: Still, Liberty, Simplify, Trust, Savor, Thrive, Believe, Joy, Hope, Shine, and this past year was Presence. For some reason I didn't have a "word of the year" for 2019. 

So I'm going with Confidence. Although I feel like there are some strained relationships in the extended family, I'm still going to live my life the way God is leading me. I"m still going to lead the ministries and groups He has placed before me.  I'm still going to engage in various volunteer service projects as God leads and have the confidence that I am a daughter of the Most High King and am living for an Audience of One. I don't have to explain my choices to others nor do I have to apologize to family members when Dave and I choose to do other things vs a family gathering. ( although we were planning on attending the last one until some people were uncomfortable with us being exposed to a daughter who had cold symptoms...I'm so glad I don't live in fear....we did understand, sort of.... but were also a bit perplexed as one of those people have been vaccinated!) We've chosen to not get the flu shot and so far this winter we have been healthy.  Of course we eat a lot of citrus fruit and get enough sleep and drink lots of water on top of taking vitamins so I believe that helps. We move through our days confident that God will take care of us.  

"In the fear of the Lord, one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge" ~Proverbs 14:26~ 

There is a security  found in God when we revere Him. (fear Him). Having a deep respect of the Most High God...our Sovereign Father in Heaven, provides for us a refuge from the struggles of life, from the anxieties of life, the fear of man, and is a model for our children. Confidence in God gives one an inner freedom of peace, strength and security from the world.  It's also a generational blessing so to speak: when I have a healthy fear of the Lord, my children (now young adults) have a shelter and reap the blessings. 

Do you have a word for the new year?  Did you have a word for 2025?? 

Lifted Away

along the trail up Balm of Gilead Mt
Siamese Pond Wilderness Area
Central Adirondacks

As I trudged up the trail on a crisp, cool Autumn Friday, I looked up at the golden glory all around and above me, and I smiled and whispered thanks to God, the Creator of all this beauty. 

I was hiking with just one other person and we were both chatty at the beginning, but as we began the climb to the summit, we stopped talking and became still.  God's Word tells us to be still and know that He is God. 

When I am still.....in mind and heart, especially, I feel like I can be more present in His Presence. 

When thoughts are controlled and my mind is focused on God, I know my faith increases and the hope I have in Him is easier to grasp.  Does that make sense? 

It does if you're a Believer.  By following Christ, not all of life is easy.  There are trials to overcome because sin entered the world long, long ago even though God the Creator made a perfect place for humans and animals to dwell in. 

But because of sin, we need a Savior to redeem us. Most of you know this and are followers of Him.

But sometimes.....life is just so darn hard! 

That Friday, I was struggling with some inner thoughts that led to some inner doubts. I didn't discuss them with my friend although she is very wise and discerning and a wonderful prayer warrior. 

I kept certain things to myself to talk to God about when I got to that summit. 

The first glimpse into the Siamese Pond Wilderness
from the edge of the summit on Balm of Gilead mt. 
 3 October 

As I stood there, I felt this amazing peace creep into my heart, soul and mind. I thanked God that we made it to the summit and that we were the only humans up there!  There was just us and God.

Diane went off to her self to contemplate and I walked further up the rockface to sit on the summit proper looking out at the world below us.   

I know I was in His Presence because I felt Him begin to speak to me. It's a still, small Voice and I had to intentionally quiet my thoughts to "hear" the Spirit. 

He showed me that He hears me. He hears every thought I have, every prayer I utter, and every groan that escapes my lips. 

He already knew the thoughts I was having that morning. 
And He thinks about us, too.  There's comfort in that.  it does give me hope. 

from the summit ledge 
where I sat in the Presence of God

You don't have to hike a mountain to be in the Presence of God.

You can find God anywhere when you open your eyes to see. 

For me?  My burdens that morning were lifted away as I cast my eyes to the mountains around me and whispered "Thank You" to Him...the One who gives me peace, hope and the promise that His Presence is with me. 

 

Are You Yoked with Him?

 

I've been meditating on this portion of Scripture the last few days. 

A friend of mine who is putting together a devotional, wanted someone to write a short piece centered around these verses. I volunteered.  

I started to think about how we are yoked with Jesus when we choose to walk with Him.  This means we are committed to Him...it's a binding relationship. A yoke, from what I understand, is a wooden beam that joins two animals...often oxen...together. One pulls though....one bears the greater burden.  This is symbolic of our yoke with Jesus. We work together with Him. 

When we give Him our burdens, we are allowing Him to guide us through it. We learn from Jesus to be at rest and in that rest comes peace. It's a trust issue as well. 

It made me think recently of the burden of my backpack on a mountain hike. Our destination was the fire tower on the summit of a mountain that stands at just under 3400 feet in elevation.  It has a rather steep ascent for the last mile of the 2.8 mile hike up. The ascent wasn't the issue for me this time..my third time climbing the mountain in the last 15 years.  Rather, it was the flat part of the trail.  Why? because there was a very large tree, along with a shorter tree, lying directly across the trail.  Both were old large pines. The trunks were so massive I couldn't get my leg up and over the larger one. 

You can see me in the photo below trying to get up and over that 2nd tree.  I ended up having to sit, swing my legs over, and then all was fine while I bushwhacked through waist high brush to get back on the trail about 800 yards away on the right. My new hiking member Evelyn had offered to take my pack.  She would have lightened my load so to speak.  I didn't take her up on the offer but I did appreciate knowing she had me covered in case I needed her help. 

I had to slow way down, say a quick prayer that we wouldn't lose the trail, and trust that our instincts were correct.  However, I was also trusting God to lead us!  Knowing that 2 friends were behind me also helped.  

and just like my friends and I were cheering each on......so too does the Lord cheer us on through our trials and burdens.  

on the Vanderwhacker Mt trail 

Jesus is always there to guide us, help us and lead us, isn't He?  We just need to ask!  

How do we learn to trust Jesus to take our burdens?

By being in His Presence daily.  Talking with Him in prayer and meditation. 

Reading the Scriptures. 

Although we all have "yokes to bear"....our burdens are lifted when we give them over to the One who can carry them for us.  We can rejoice in that assurance!

Just like my hiking friends and I rejoiced when we got to the top of that mountain fire tower! 

Ping, me, Evelyn
on the summit of Vanderwhacker Mt in the fire tower
Central ADK 

MONDAY MORNING MEDITATION

 

I'm continuing to make my way through Psalm 119, meditating on various sections of it slowly and throughout the week. 

This morning I'm in verses 47-50.

Verse 48 popped out at me so I found a beautiful image (above) with it.  

It reminds me of the raising of our hands during our Easter worship service yesterday.  Being in the choir, I was able to look out over 830+ people at our 10 AM service and see so many hands raised in praise...especially during our rendition of He Shall Reign where we had inserted parts of the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Messiah by Handel. 

Meditating on God's word...His statutes...brings me hope. Even in my trials.....as verse 50 calls "Afflictions". 

Just like the morning sun is reviving me physically and mentally/emotionally...so too does meditating on God and His Word. 

How I love to be in His Presence in the early morning. 

Lifting up hands to His holiness today.......

........as I seek the Presence of the Son in the morning sun

Look Up!

 I didn't see sunshine or blue skies upon waking up this morning. 

I saw clouds, grey skies and  wet, white grass.  White. Because it was snowing the kind of thick, wet flakes that don't stick on the roads but on the grass. 

And I rolled my eyes and said "so much for Spring". 

It seems to take a long time getting here this year in eastern New York. 

I know we need the moisture but not seeing full sunshine for days on end gets downright dreary. At least in my opinion. 

However, it reminded me of the Scripture that I've been reading throughout the week and meditating on.  It's from Psalm 5. I've posted part of it in the image above.

What I've been reading is:

"Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.  Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord, in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up." ~Psalm 5: 1-3~

 

and then this last part of verse 11:

"let those also who love Your name be joyful in You." 

I can't help but think how we have our plans but God directs our steps.  How things change on a whim sometimes it seems.  Like Spring weather in the Northeast. 

I'm glad and thankful that God doesn't change.

He always hears us.  

He's always there.

He's always listening to our cries, our complaints, our  confessions. 

He always loves. 

Look up to Him.....lift up your voice to Him and He will guide you, answer you, and surround you with His loving Presence. 

In the Sunshine

 

 morning sun over the backyard

Sunshine rising.....

.....thoughts tumbling........

meditative moments reminding me of the Son rising from that dark pit to live again........

Last night, as I led the small group of ladies in our discussion, I felt an overwhelming love for them. The love of being united in Christ and the love of hearing their stories and experiences and their heart thoughts on the topic of being still and knowing God....as we journey on the lifestyle sanctification process. 

like the sun rising, my thoughts were rising towards sharing deeper things....secret things.....and the trust we all have with one another. 

If you can't share the deepest secrets of your heart with other women, we can share them with God Himself. He is always with us.  He sees our heart and knows our past, present and future. He knows what we are going to say before we say it! 

In the sun rising, I sit and contemplate some things I shared last evening.

Deep things....things that opened up wounds from my already wounded heart but that Jesus in His infinite love, mercy and grace healed so that the wound is just a tiny tear now. Time does not heal all wounds. That is so false.  Jesus heals wounds when we allow Him to. In sharing of past experiences or sharing things that challenge us emotionally, we open our selves to the Son being able to raise in us an awareness of other women and their struggles. When we share with others, it shows others that they are not alone. 

Sitting in the sun...in His Presence...is something I crave every day.

I can't imagine not sitting with a Scripture and meditating on it, giving Him my heart strings...and allowing Him to speak to me in that still, small Voice. I try to practice this daily. He wants to know us. He already does of course but He wants  us to go deeper with Him like we go deeper with the ones we trust with our secrets. 

God shines on us...let's allow Him to penetrate through to our very core..our inner heart.......as the sun shines down and penetrates through the morning clouds. 

Hide and Seek

 

"ready or not, here I come....." 

 This is what my daughters would shout out in the backyard as we played rounds and rounds of Hide and Seek.  They're 5 years apart, so I played this for many years from when they were both ages 2-6.  It was one of their favorite indoor and outdoor games. How they would giggle and laugh out loud as I came  closer and closer  and scooped them up saying "Found you!". 

These memories came over me this morning when I was contemplating on the Scripture from Psalm 119 where David writes (most Biblical scholars believe it was  David who wrote this particular psalm although this one is "unknown") that He has "hidden" the Word of God in his heart.  

God's Words are so powerful  that they can actually prevent people from sinning. 

When we "hide" something in our hearts, it's tucked away. This takes many forms of course: reading the Scriptures, memorizing Scripture verses, meditating and/or journaling the Scripture, praying it over yourself or on behalf of someone....basically applying it to our lives. 

Just like my little girls would hide away from me, in order for me to find them, so too should we hide away the Scriptures in our hearts so that we can find God......we look for God in His Word. And we find him there. 

Jeremiah says:

When we are focused on God...with our whole hearts...truly seeking Him, we are less likely to not give in to temptations or to not  become self-focused. 

When we know the Word...truly know it and live it outloud, those times of finding God will be so precious and meaningful. We will be practicing the Presence of God. It's something I crave more and more each day. 

and when I hide His Word in my heart, 

He will "scoop me up" in His arms and I can shout "You found me". 

Are you hiding the Word in your heart today?