Looking to God #3 Safe with God

Where do hide when you want to feel safe? Jam’s got a place but getting into is  quite dangerous. And what do you do when you meet a black bear in the woods? And what if your dog is in danger?! We’ve got some fun facts, a story and poem to help. But it’s not as good as Psalm 57! Ed explains that’s the real deal. The pirates are back, digging a pit which is going to go just fine, right? And check out Jesus Can by Dumbrocks: https://dumbrocks.com/music/songs/jesus-can/

Don't forget the new Faith in Parents podcast, to the Family Moment videos that are on this page, and to our webinar on "Helping every child's mental wellbeing". 

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:10

Welcome to the Faith in Families podcast.

SPEAKER_04 0:13

I'm Ed, he's Jam. That's right, I'm Jam, he's Ed, and this is a podcast for families to listen to together. Like Charlotte, Barney, Theo, and I. Yep, they might be in the car right now on their way to school listening as a family. Hello, Mum was in touch via podcast at faith inkids.org.

SPEAKER_05 0:34

As was Jamie in New Zealand. He listens to the podcast in the car with Lily, Caleb and Josh. They love action, Tim, and Mum loves the fun facts.

SPEAKER_04 0:44

So wherever you are, whoever you're with, welcome to episode three in our series on the Psalms. Coming up, Psalm 57, more fun facts. Pirates, a song, but first, a whip-around question. What is it, Ed?

SPEAKER_05 0:59

If I told you to go to your safe place right now, where would you go?

SPEAKER_04 1:06

My instinct is the cupboard under the stairs. There's two problems with this. One, it's full of shoes, and so I'd have to take them out. And two, it's very low down, and I might hurt myself trying to get into my safe space. So it's probably not the best panic room in the world, but that was my gut cupboard under the stairs. What about you, Ed?

SPEAKER_05 1:29

Well, mine is simpler. It's just a sofa in the living room under a very heavy blanket. Because when I'm there, I fall asleep within about one minute, which shows I must feel safe.

SPEAKER_04 1:39

And that once the danger knows you're asleep, you can't be touched. Those are the rules. So answer this question in your families, at home, in a car, wherever you are on the way to swimming. If I told you to get to your safe place right now, where would you go?

SPEAKER_05 2:30

Hiding from a whole army. We're gonna find out where he went to feel safe. Jam, I want fun facts and I want them now.

SPEAKER_04 2:42

I'm very happy to give you some fun facts and a short story about black bears, which are found in Canada, Mexico, and North America. They may be called black bears, but actually their coats can sometimes be blue, grey, or blue, black, or brown, sometimes even white, but that does not make them a polar bear. Now they may be large, but black bears can run up to 40 kilometres an hour, 25 to 30 miles an hour. You will not outrun a black bear, Ed.

SPEAKER_05 3:14

I would just want to say that is frighteningly fast.

SPEAKER_04 3:17

Very fast.

SPEAKER_05 3:18

But I would imagine a great big bear running that fast would be a fearsome sight.

SPEAKER_04 3:23

What are you gonna do, Ed? You're gonna run away? You're gonna climb a tree? Don't do that. Their short claws make them excellent climbers. You're gonna jump in a river, don't do that. Because they're also excellent swimmers.

SPEAKER_05 3:35

Oh jam.

SPEAKER_04 3:36

They probably don't want to eat you because they mostly eat grasses, herbs, and fruit, but they will sometimes eat other things like fish, especially salmon, when they're going upstream back to their breeding grounds. And they also eat food discarded by humans and can detect the smell of food over a mile away. What do you think you could smell from a mile away, Ed?

SPEAKER_05 3:58

I want to say fresh donuts, but that might not actually be true. But I feel like the smell of fresh donuts, oh my goodness, I'd go a long way to get them.

SPEAKER_04 4:06

You would. So where do you go when you meet a bear? I actually found a rhyme to help you remember how to cope with different bears. If it's brown, lay down. If it's black, fight back. If it's white, good night. Basically, you're not getting away from a polar bear unarmed. You know, you are very unlikely to meet one. So say it with me, Ed. If it's brown, lay down. If it's brown, lay down. If it's black, fight back. If it's black, fight back. If it's white. Good night. And if it's white, good night. Now, someone must have known that poem. His name is Caleb Benham and his dog, Buddy, were in the woods in California a few years ago. They were having a great time. Buddy runs ahead when Caleb hears a deep guttural roar. It's the sound of a black bear. Caleb sees it. It's a big one. He reckoned it weighed up to 350 pounds. That's basically the weight of a large refrigerator or an upright piano. And the bear grabs Buddy's head with his jaws and starts dragging him away. His dog is in very serious danger, Ed. Do you know what Caleb did next?

SPEAKER_05 5:24

Jam. I mean, look, the answer is panic. Surely there's nothing to do that's constructive right now.

SPEAKER_04 5:30

He did the only thing he could think of, the fit, lean 24-year-old lowered his shoulder and plowed into the bear, who let go who didn't let go of Buddy the dog immediately. Caleb grabbed the bear by the throat, nothing, tried prying its jaws open, nope, locked tight, and then he started pumbling the bear around its snout and its face until eventually the bear dropped the dog and ran off into the woods. Buddy was in bad shape, nearly a goner, but after four hours of surgery, Buddy got stitched back together again and was okay. And Caleb had saved his precious dog, Buddy.

SPEAKER_05 6:11

Isn't that amazing? It is, Jam. I'm in two minds. Do you think we should be saying right now, if you meet a black bear children at home, don't fight back? Or are you saying no, you really should, because that's your only chance?

SPEAKER_04 6:24

Look, Ed, you remember the rhyme, which is if it's black, fight back. Okay, that's what you do with black bears. They're not interested in you. I'm only telling that story, Ed, because it reminds me of what we're talking about today. How God is mighty and loving and trustworthy and rescues his people when they cry out to him. And that is quite a rescue story.

SPEAKER_05 6:49

In this series, we are looking to God. It is about mental well-being in the Psalms, and today we're in Psalm 57.

SPEAKER_00 6:58

Psalm 57. Be merciful to me, God. Be merciful to me, because I come to you for protection. I will come to you as a bird comes for protection under its mother's wings until the trouble has passed. I cry out to God Most High, to the God who does everything for me. He sends help from heaven and saves me. He punishes those who attack me. God sends me his love and truth. Enemies are like lions all around me. I must lie down among them. Their teeth are like spears and arrows. Their tongues are as sharp as swords. God is supreme over the skies. His greatness covers the earth. They set a trap for me. I am very worried. They dug a pit in my path, but they fell into it themselves. My heart is right, God. My heart is right. I will sing and praise you. Wake up, my soul. Wake up, harp and lyre. I will wake up the dawn. Lord, I will praise you among the nations. I will sing songs of praise about you to all the nations. Your love is so great it reaches to the skies. Your truth reaches to the clouds. God, you are supreme over the skies. Let your glory be over all the earth.

SPEAKER_05 8:53

When did you last feel really safe? How did you answer the whip-around question? Was it hiding in an amazing den you've built? Or curled up in bed with your favourite Teddy under a duvet? When did you know you had the best help on your side? Perhaps a game of football and you have all the best players. A school trip with your best friend sitting next to you on the coach. I remember once walking onto a stage in front of hundreds of people, and I didn't know a single one of them. I was terrified. My heart was racing. I had Jam beside me. He'd done it before. A lot of the people were his friends. I trusted Jam because he said we could do it. I couldn't have done it without him beside me. Jam made me feel safe that day. Do you remember that, Jam?

SPEAKER_04 9:48

Not quite like it was yesterday, because it was a very long time ago. But yes, I do remember being there together with you.

SPEAKER_05 9:57

And it went alright, didn't it? Jam, it went well enough, we need to never speak of it again. Those moments when we feel really safe, when we know we have great help, when we remember that we're loved, they are the best. We can be brave, we can do things that seem hard. David wrote Psalm 57, where he talks about his safe place and having the best help, knowing he is totally loved. And what's amazing is that David wrote this when things were terrible. He wasn't in a cozy den, he was hiding in a cave. Outside there were terrifying soldiers with weapons hunting for him. Listen to how David says he was feeling. David trusted God, so he cried out to him. He knew that God was listening to his prayer. He knew that God loved him and was powerful enough to help. Listen to David's prayer.

SPEAKER_03 11:13

Be merciful to me, God. Be merciful to me because I come to you for protection. I will come to you as a bird comes for protection under its mother's wings until the trouble has passed.

SPEAKER_05 11:29

David was surrounded by terrible danger. But he knew he was as safe as a little bird coming under its mother's wing for protection. David knew God's love for him was bigger than the sky. So David praised God. Even though things were really difficult around him, I am sure David still felt worried, but he knew God was still good and kind and there right beside him. You and I can do just the same thing too. God is still our safe place to run to when we are afraid. We can pray to him like David did and ask God to help us anytime, anywhere. God's love is still bigger than the sky, and he is close to each of us. Perhaps you really don't want to go to school tomorrow. Perhaps there's someone in your class who keeps saying unkind things that make you sad. You can pray to God and ask him for help.

SPEAKER_04 12:36

Dear Father God, thank you for loving me so much. Please help me to go to school tomorrow. Please help me to keep trusting you're on my side. Please give me a good friend at school.

SPEAKER_05 12:50

Amen. This week, if you or someone in your home feels afraid, you could remember verse 11.

SPEAKER_03 13:00

God, you are supreme over the skies. Let your glory be over all the earth.

SPEAKER_05 13:07

When you are afraid, look up at the sky to help you remember that God is our best help. God's love is bigger than the sky. Let's trust God and keep crying out to Him for help and in praise. I'm gonna pray. Dear Father God, thank you that your love is wider than the whole world and higher than the sky. Thank you for being our safe place. Please help us to ask you for help, whatever is happening, and to trust you to help us. Amen.

SPEAKER_04 13:46

Amen. Ed got questions.

SPEAKER_05 13:50

Are you under five? Who do you talk to when you feel afraid? Fives to sevens, what makes you feel afraid? Over eights, how can God help you when you feel afraid? Over elevens, have you ever known God to help you when you were in difficulty?

SPEAKER_04 14:13

You can have a chat about those now, and if you want to do that, press pause. But we're gonna carry on.

SPEAKER_03 14:18

And you remember that bit in the psalm which says They set a trap for me. I am very worried. They dug a pit in my path, but they fell into it themselves.

SPEAKER_04 14:28

Interesting. Here are the pirates.

SPEAKER_03 14:32

Dig!

SPEAKER_02 14:33

Dig faster! Come on, Harry, put your hook into it! Percy, put your peg leg into it! Not sure how you do that. And Sammy smiles, less grinning, more digging. Captain, why are we digging another enormous hole? Because you said so! And it was a great idea. Thanks. Wait, was this my great idea? This morning, when you read out that poem to the crew, they dug a pit for their enemies. I was listening. That's not quite what it's genius! Enemies come prowling around and boom! Frash straight into the pit. Sorry, that kind of thing makes me very piratey to get my ball up. Capturing enemy pirates out for our treasure.

SPEAKER_03 15:24

There isn't any treasure, remember? We only discovered no treasure. Well we didn't discover.

SPEAKER_02 15:32

But our enemies don't know that. They might think we've got treasure and come and steal it. We can't come and steal something that doesn't exist. We should also call this place no treasure island.

SPEAKER_03 15:46

Except the island is the treasure. The fresh water, the fruit, the fish, the birds, the cows. There's even a McDonald's on the other side of the island. Did you know that? Oh, great. Oh, Psalm 57! That psalm isn't telling us to dig bits for our enemies. It says the enemies fell into their own trap.

SPEAKER_02 16:14

Oh well, that's stupid. Who falls into their own trap? Idiots. That's who. Sammy smiles at smiling at that. Someone high-five Sammy. Not you, Harry Hokand.

SPEAKER_03 16:26

Psalm 57 teaches us that God's people don't have to build clever traps for every one of our enemies. It says so great is your love of reaching to the heavens. He loves us. He will save us from pirates. Yes. Although it is easy to forget that we're pirates too. True. So we don't need this pit after all. I don't think so. There is a real danger that we could fall into the pit we've dug. I mean, it's quite dangerous, and the edges look like they could collapse at any minute. Nonsense. The edges are as firm as a dead! Don't worry. You cried out to the Lord and he heard you. We did too. We'll drop down a rope. Good.

SPEAKER_02 17:15

But there's one thing I want more than anything else. What's that? I want Sammy's smiles to wipe that stupid smile off his face. Fair enough. Okay, Harry. Now you can high-five Sammy. Harry? No!

SPEAKER_01 17:41

In those times when I think I'm honey. In those times I can't figure it out. You say trust me. You say trust me. I think it's what I can't say. You say trust me. I will be trusting the God who is faithful. I will trust you in the God who is faithful. Jesus Christ. When the clothes is the friend of all God When I have fighting battle We must be body You still trust me I will be your strength in the store. I will trust in the God who is faithful. I can't. You can I will trust in the God who is faithful.

SPEAKER_04 19:15

Jesus can. Dumb Rocks with another brilliant song, Jesus Can. There'll be a link to that in the show notes. We've already mentioned a couple of families who've been in touch via podcast at faithinkids.org. But we didn't mention Jack and Toby.

SPEAKER_05 19:30

How are they getting on in Malaysia?

SPEAKER_04 19:32

Oh, it's a big change, Ed. But they're settling in, according to Mum, who sent us a lovely email.

SPEAKER_05 19:39

And another hello to Zef and Evie and Joshua as they have their breakfast.

SPEAKER_04 19:43

Zef has a favourite animal, doesn't he? Uh, the white lion. Jam, is that even a thing? Apparently it's something to do with lacking pigmentation, but I think it's a bit late in the podcast to be getting into that.

SPEAKER_05 19:53

I think so. There's never a bad time to have breakfast. Thanks for getting in touch. Podcast at faithinkids.org. You're all welcome. And where can people find resources for the series, Ed? Oh my goodness, this series, more than any other we've ever done, Jam, is just awash with things to help in the home. Because conversations about mental well-being are best done in the home, in the kitchen, in the bedroom, before bed, when you get up. So we've got videos in all sorts. Follow the link, you'll find Looking to God on YouTube channel and on the website. Wherever you go, find it there.

SPEAKER_04 20:27

Faith and Kids have so many resources they've had to knock a wall through. Anyway, that's it, we're done. Thanks for listening. One episode to go. Speak to you next time. Until then, Cheerio. Bye bye.

SPEAKER_05 20:39

Are you under five? Who do you talk to when you feel afraid? Fives to sevens. What makes you feel afraid? Over eights, how can God help you when you feel afraid? Over elevens, have you ever known God to help you when you were in difficulty?