You are my hiding place – Start The Day

Monday 16th March 2026

“Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,” Judges 6:1 NKJV

“Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. ¹²And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” ¹³Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.” ¹⁴Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”” Judges 6:1,11-14 NKJV

Father God,

Usually the sight of an angel would cause a falling down or bring silence. But Gideon must have been brave because he discusses and challenges Your Angel with questions about You! This young man, son of Joash of the tribe of Abiezrites, a tiny clan within Manassah.

Gideon is afraid he has seen You Lord face to face and will die – but You assure him absolutely not. You do not bring fear – but shalom, peace. And Gideon calls You YHWH Shalom the Lord is peace. Your presence always brings peace to chaos, stillness to confusion and faith to fear. The story of Gideon is amazing. The transformation of confused young man hiding from his enemies, to the Israelites judge and saviour. Perhaps many linger on his putting a fleece out twice or reducing the army from 22,000 to just 300 men. Or get side tracked y his over hearing his enemies dreams and arming his men with pitchers, torchers ready to shout!

But then it was Your Word made flesh (John 1:14) that won the victory, He was the light of the world (John 8:12) and He broke open the door to heaven. What an amazing God You are. Raise up the Gideons (male and female) that we need today to bring and share peace. Help us come out of hiding and speak for You our awesome Saviour.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Monday 16th March 2026
They sing it with such power and purpose. A wonderful blending of scriptures. I will not apologise for repeating this worship.

You are my hiding place
You always fill my heart
With songs of deliverance
Whenever I am afraid
I will trust in You

I will trust in You
Let the weak say
I am strong
In the strength of the Lord

Lyrics: Michael Ledner

Thursday 15th January 2026

“There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.²Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. ³Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. ⁴And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; ⁵because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” ⁶So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. ⁷And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.” Genesis 26:1-7 NKJV

Lord God,

Same old, same old. Different place, different generation. A lie done, as he thought, to protect his wife. Just as his father Abraham had done. (Genesis 20:2,4 and 11.) Fear? There are times when I have been tempted to lie – not big lies. Or are there big lies and little lies? Or is it about the size of the consequences? What about fibs? No a lie is a lie and comes from the father of lies..

There are times I have fibbed, lied, stretched the truth . . . When asked about my opinion and I have known they really did not want it. Or is that just withholding what I think? I have answered with truth and hurt peoples feelings. Paul says whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:8) This should direct my thinking before I speak! But what about the times I am put on the spot?

Lord help me direct my mind before my mouth rushes in without thinking. Help me to be honest, and maybe stay silent when it is not necessary and will hurt someone. Let me not stretch the truth or tell even the smallest lie to try and protect myself. Help me to trust You.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen

Worship Thursday 15th January 2026

Psalm 32:7 Joel 3:10

Tuesday 22nd April 2025

“Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear. ⁸Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. ⁹So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself.¹⁰Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, ¹¹but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?” Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. ¹²So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.”” 1 Samuel 13:7b-12 NLT

Lord of all,

What have You done? What’s worse than doing something wrong? Being caught out? Here we hear Saul’s response. I only did it because you never came when you said you would. We couldn’t wait another day . . . the men were afraid I did it for them. I wanted to make sure God was on our side . . . I did a peace offering and a burnt offering as was planned . . . I felt compelled by your lateness to step in . . . Not taking any responsibility for anything.

Panic or fear or both? Very powerful but not signposts! Sometimes we don’t even realise we just need to step back, stop and trust. You are our Shepherd and we should know Your voice (John 10:27). When we hear nothing it is not a time to panic and fill the void. You promised, “Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21). Samuel was only hours away arriving just as Saul finished. Lord, You lead us, help us recognise when it is the enemy giving us a push or two.

Help us to wait for You. Till we can hear and see clearly again. Help us to allow Your perfect love to cast our fear (1 John 4:18). Even when or if the worst happens You will always show up, already be there and be our help and strength (Psalm 46:1-3).

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Tuesday 22nd April 2025
Have to slide this in every year as it is my go to chorus for life’s challenges. Chill out for 2 minutes.

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance (Psalm 32:7).
Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You (Psalm 56:3)..
Let the weak say, I am strong (Joel 3:10b)

You are my hiding place
You always fill my heart
With songs of deliverance
Whenever I am afraid
I will trust in You

I will trust in You
Let the weak say I am strong
In the strength of the Lord
I will trust in You
I will trust in You
Let the weak say I am strong
In the strength of the Lord
I will trust in You.

Lyrics and music: Michael Ledner

Michael Ledner, composed “You Are My Hiding Place” at the age of 27 when he was going through a painful period in his life, a period of separation from his wife. He shared the song with several friends, made a recording of it, and set it aside. Nine months later he shared the song with a group while they were serving at a kibbutz (communal settlement) in Israel. These friends took the song back with them to California, and after it was sung there, Michael was contacted by Maranatha Music who asked if they could record it.