God Is Our Refuge

 So many people seem to be struggling at this time.  There is so much going on in the world around us. Covid, Lockdowns, Illnesses, Financial struggles, Loneliness and the list goes on and on.

With all of these struggles going on around us God can seem like he is disinterested or in the distance.  When we feel this way it can bring up the question of "God where are you?"

All the issues can bring forth fear as well.  I know I have found myself in fear a few times this last year. Worrying about the "What ifs"

"What if my loved one dies? What if they never find a cure for covid? What if I have the vaccine? What if I don't? Will I ever see my family members again?" The What ifs can be endless. 

Psalm 46:1 says

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” 

This verse tells us that God is with us. God is our refuge, our fortress and shelter.

The dictionary defines refuge as “a shelter from pursuit or danger or trouble; or a person or place offering this”. It defines fortress as “a military stronghold, especially a strongly fortified town fit for a large garrison”.

God is also our strength, our help. He is the one who deals with the uncertainties that surrounds us. We can take comfort in knowing that because God is our refuge and help, we have nothing to fear, even if life throws us the worst curveballs. God is with us. No matter the storm or trial that comes our way. We are not alone. We can take comfort in God's presence. We can trust in his promise of eternal life. He cares about our daily struggles and he shares them with us.

Nowhere in the bible does God promise a life without those difficult times but he does promise that he will be with us when those times come.

We live in a world of uncertainties, that can quickly spiral out of control. Our leaders are in a state of confusion and are unsure of the next steps to take. Our enemies seem to be increasing around us. We need to take our eyes off of the circumstances and place our eyes on God. We need to trust that he has it all under control.

Luke 12:7 says

"Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows."

He loves and cares for us so much that he has the hairs on our heads numbered.

As we trust in him and we give our struggles to him he will provide us with the rest that we need. By placing our trust in him we are allowing him to give us the peace that passes all understanding.

I encourage you to read his word and to trust in him. We may not have all the answers but he does and he has it all under control.

Love your Enemies

Mathew 5:44 tells us to love our enemies and to bless those who curse us. It tells us to do good to those who hate us and pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us.

I don't know about you but the last thing that I want to do is love the person who abused and hurt me, however God wants us to love them anyway. 

I once heard a story of a man. One day he was relaxing under a tree and the trees roots stretched over a river bank. While he was resting, he noticed that the river was rising. A scorpion was caught in the roots and it was about to drown. This man took pity on the scorpion and he stretched out on the roots and reached down to free the scorpion. Every time he did this, the scorpion would strike back at him. There was an observer sitting near the man.  The observer saw what was happening. The observer turned to the man and asked  “Don't you know that's a scorpion, and it the nature of a scorpion to want to sting you? 

The man turned to the observer and said, “ That may very well be, but it is my nature to save. Do I need to change my nature because the scorpion does not change his nature? 

Sometimes it is impossible to help those who are hurting or are in need of something. Sometimes it is thier nature to stick at you and hurt you, much like the scorpion. Sometimes it is an instant reaction to hurt you before you hurt them. We may not know why they react this way. It could be passed experiences. It could be thier nature it could be a factor of many different things. We may never really know the reason.

The reason is not what is important. What is  important is that we embrace the nature of God.

In Luke 6:27-36 we are told again to "Love our enemies. 

We do this in how we respond to painful events. As Christians, we are to pray for those we don't like- even those we are mad at. We pray because it changes our hearts. It helps the hearts of the other person to change. It also heals. So next time that person hurts you or you try and help him and he don't want help. God wants us to love them anyway. And pray for them.