September 02, 2017
""God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride."" (Psalm 46:1-3)
All of us have watched with amazement as Hurricane Harvey hit and lingered over the Texas and Louisiana coast in these past days. It has been a terribly destructive storm.
One report said enough rain had fallen to fill every NFL stadium in America to the brim, 100 times! The results of this storm will change things for millions of lives for years.
Since I'm sitting in the comfort of my dry home, this may seem a little hollow—like an arm-chair quarterback—but I don't think so. For the Word of God is the same. It is true and even more powerful to those, such as my brother and brother-in-law and my daughter-in-law’s family, who have been in the middle of the storm.
One translation reads of verse two that God is ""abundantly available for help when we're in a tight place."" God is the God of the quiet and the God of the storm. He is every present and available to all who will call upon Him. And, He can give us all exactly what we need—in a physical hurricane or a spiritual one. In the middle of a sudden dilemma or a lingering problem.
OUR REFUGE
This is a hiding place, a spot to go to when the storm is raging. He is all of that to those in a storm who will look for Him. A cave, a place of calm in the midst of chaos. It is a roof over our head, provided by the power of God, even when we're standing in the rain.
AND OUR STRENGTH
He not only has strength, He IS our strength. If He lives in us, He can provide Divine power to weather anything. And, believers from horrific circumstances can attest that He was all they needed to give the strengthening required.
CALL NOW
The habit of communing and relying upon God is a developed trait. The Psalmist also writes:
Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. (Psalm 32:6).
If you have cultivated the ability to hear and trust God BEFORE the storm, it is easier to find Him IN the storm. It is not that He is not available for all, but those who have a matured relationship with Him know where the hiding place is and can move there quickly in storm seasons.
But for all who will call, He is there and will save us. That's just the kind of God He is.
February 18, 2025
I have known many people who have had great joy and power in the midst of great suffering. It is humbling that the slightest inconveniences deter many of us from following God. We have not gotten to the bottom—settled the issue. Most often, we live for our comfort, reputation, or gain. When any of those goals are touched, we are troubled and discontent.
February 17, 2025
The repentant who finds God gains everything. “He who has God and everything else,” said C.S. Lewis, “has no more than he who has God alone.”
February 12, 2025
Repentance helps us. Repentance heals us. Repentance restores us and refreshes us. And these are all the outcomes a loving Father desires for His children.
