Our Place of Refuge
"The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord have never forsaken those who seek You (Psalm 9:9-10)."
I don't know what you are facing right now. Maybe it's a financial issue, sickness, heartache or broken relationship. Whatever it is, Jesus is your refuge both now and forever. He is a stronghold, in other words, He is a "fortress and a place of survival." He will never, ever leave you.
Life can be hard and at times it can seem unbearable. But if you will trust Jesus and keep your eyes on Him-not your circumstances, He will fill you with His peace. He will give you joy even in the most difficult seasons of your life. When we go through trials, our human tendency is to focus on the pain. We want a quick fix. We may at times even think the pain-this trial-will never end. This is exactly what the enemy wants. He wants you to give up. He wants to cause you to despair and he wants to steal your joy. Don't give him that satisfaction.
Remind yourself who you are in Christ. You are victorious. You are an overcomer, because Jesus has already overcome. You have been seated with Him in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). You are an heir, chosen by God and belong to a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Your circumstances are temporary and do not define who you are. Jesus never promised that we would have a life free from opposition, sickness, pain or heartache, but He did promise us His peace in the midst of it all (John 16:33). Jesus knows about suffering which is why He sympathizes with us in all of our weaknesses and struggles. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet He did not sin (Hebrews 4:15)."
Whatever hardship we are facing now or in the days to come, the key is to remember the character of God. He is good (Psalm 136:1). He is loving (1 John 4:8). He is just (2 Thessalonians 1:6). He is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9). He is compassionate (Exodus 34:6). He is merciful (Micah 7:18). He is sovereign (Isaiah 46:10). As we focus on all of the attributes of God, we can rest assured that He is in control and will work all of it together for the good of those who love Him. God's purpose is not for our happiness, though this is a by-product from knowing Christ, but God's primary purpose is to make us more like His Son and often times, this means first going through difficult times. If you will allow Him to, God will use the very trial you are going through to later comfort someone else with the same comfort that God gave you. This trial will become part of your testimony. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)."
Everything that happens to us first passes through God's loving hands. Though right now we may not understand why, we can trust in the Lord and His unfailing love. Better days are coming....."I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord (Psalm 27:13-14)."
I don't know what you are facing right now. Maybe it's a financial issue, sickness, heartache or broken relationship. Whatever it is, Jesus is your refuge both now and forever. He is a stronghold, in other words, He is a "fortress and a place of survival." He will never, ever leave you.
Life can be hard and at times it can seem unbearable. But if you will trust Jesus and keep your eyes on Him-not your circumstances, He will fill you with His peace. He will give you joy even in the most difficult seasons of your life. When we go through trials, our human tendency is to focus on the pain. We want a quick fix. We may at times even think the pain-this trial-will never end. This is exactly what the enemy wants. He wants you to give up. He wants to cause you to despair and he wants to steal your joy. Don't give him that satisfaction.
Remind yourself who you are in Christ. You are victorious. You are an overcomer, because Jesus has already overcome. You have been seated with Him in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). You are an heir, chosen by God and belong to a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Your circumstances are temporary and do not define who you are. Jesus never promised that we would have a life free from opposition, sickness, pain or heartache, but He did promise us His peace in the midst of it all (John 16:33). Jesus knows about suffering which is why He sympathizes with us in all of our weaknesses and struggles. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet He did not sin (Hebrews 4:15)."
Whatever hardship we are facing now or in the days to come, the key is to remember the character of God. He is good (Psalm 136:1). He is loving (1 John 4:8). He is just (2 Thessalonians 1:6). He is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9). He is compassionate (Exodus 34:6). He is merciful (Micah 7:18). He is sovereign (Isaiah 46:10). As we focus on all of the attributes of God, we can rest assured that He is in control and will work all of it together for the good of those who love Him. God's purpose is not for our happiness, though this is a by-product from knowing Christ, but God's primary purpose is to make us more like His Son and often times, this means first going through difficult times. If you will allow Him to, God will use the very trial you are going through to later comfort someone else with the same comfort that God gave you. This trial will become part of your testimony. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)."
Everything that happens to us first passes through God's loving hands. Though right now we may not understand why, we can trust in the Lord and His unfailing love. Better days are coming....."I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord (Psalm 27:13-14)."
Comments
Post a Comment