Encouragement

On September 30, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 46: 10

God is our refuge and strength, a very ready help in trouble.

Hurricane Helene blasted through the eastern US this past week leaving devastation in its wake. That is not hyperbole. The pictures of the aftermath reveal only part of the story, but certainly enough that we realize the very real need for a strong refuge.

This storm made victims out of millions of people. Some of those people do not know God, the Father and Jesus, our savior. They don’t know the Lord who is a very real and ready help in the time of trouble. For many people, God is not a present God. He is either a theory or a fiction. We know differently. He is alive and here. He is ready to help us in our time of need. Therefore, today’s Word of the Day has two purposes. First, it is meant as an encouragement for all those who have been adversely affected by the storm and secondly, as a call to prayer to the rest of us, to those who know that God is on hand.

Salvation is a big word. We usually think of it in an end of times or end of life context. Through the eyes of Helene, we see salvation’s meaning in its larger manifestation. People need His saving touch in many ways: in their finances, housing, communications, their towns, streets, etc. The encouraging word is that God has salvation in His hands for all those things and more. His saving grace touches every aspect of life. Moreover, it is available to all. Just ask for it, whether for yourself and your family or for others. He is the help that millions of people need right now.

God is that refuge we can run into. In the shelter of God, there is comfort and peace. I believe there are many people who need peace and comfort now. We should let people know that God can impact more than just emotions though. While I believe comfort is very important right now and should not be minimalized, it is also important to let people know that Yahweh is a practical God. By that I mean that He is able to help with the financial and logistical issues facing the eastern US. I am reminded of the great Exodus in which God secured Israel’s release from slavery in Egypt. Liberation was the driving force, but God did not send them out as destitute vagabonds. They left with gold from the Egyptians. That has always amazed me but that shows how God thinks and how He addresses problems.

A great swath of the country has certainly been impacted by Hurricane Helene, yet in the aftermath, we can find God and help others find Him. Maybe some people just need more of Him or a larger version of Him in their lives. Perhaps others need Him to hover close. Still others may find His strength and encouragement for the first time in their lives. Regardless of what each impacted person and business needs, I pray that everyone embraces God and finds the love, compassion, comfort and simple practicality they need in these trying times. While the flood waters recede, I pray that new found relationships and closeness with God never will.

Please join me in praying for the victims of Hurricane Helene

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Trusting You

On July 8, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 9: 10

And those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee; for Thou, O Lord, has not forsaken those who seek Thee.

I feel like naming every devotional lately “Good News.” I think it’s because I’ve been in a time of need and these verses have helped me get through a challenge. I particularly take comfort in the last phrase of this verse. I hope you do too.

Last week we looked at Psalm 9: 9 and found that God is an impregnable fortress in which we are completely safe in the day of trouble. This, the very next verse, shows us the relationship side of that fortress of protection. Imagine, if you will, that beautiful, wonderful castle that God built just for you. You are standing outside of it when you see Pharaoh’s army marching towards you. You turn and look at the castle, but instead of running towards it in relief, your heart becomes gripped with fear because you are not sure that it is really going to protect you against this danger. You fear that God really has forsaken you and that the castle is just going to crumble around you. I get it.

In real life we cannot see the fortress of God and may not have developed our trust in His protection. Therefore, in the day of trouble many of us either tremble with fear and worry or attempt to defeat the enemy with our own puny weaponry. When we have learned to trust Him, then we run into His fortress although in a sense it is a figurative fortress. The truth is that He really is a fortress, and you really can, in real life, run into His protection. You must first know Him, know beyond a doubt that He has not forsaken you and trust that He really will protect you. When you have that kind of trust, you really will be able to stand against the forces of the enemy completely safe and protected. You will watch as God defeats your foe, and you will have never even lifted a finger.

Those who know His name will put their trust in Him. His name is Yahweh. Now you know.

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Fortress Dweller

On May 13, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 61: 1 – 3          NLV

O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.

This sounds like every one of us. We’ve all been in this place and we need the reminder that we can shelter in the towering rock where God is our refuge. While this is a good reminder, I am struck that it is more than an emergency beacon. I wish to suggest this is an everyday prayer.

This week, we looked at our victory in Jesus. God has provided everything we need to live victorious, healthy lives. We, however, must partake of all He has given. Revelation 12: 11 is where we learn that overcoming status is achieved through the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. In today’s passage I hear a victorious testimony crying out. “Father, you are my towering rock of safety. You are my safe refuge. I am safe and secure in you because you are my abiding fortress. You keep me safe from all my enemies. Father, I praise you and thank you that, in you, my safety from all harm is assured.” You get the idea. But that isn’t the end of what occurred to me as I read this passage. A question presented itself.

Who are our enemies? We are not like King David who was, literally, chased around the desert by people who wished to kill him. He was hunted as prey. We may have some folks who don’t like us very well but most of us do not have identifiable enemies. Or do we? What of disease and sickness? What of economic pressures? What about family and other relationship issues? There is an enemy, the Bible tells us. 1 Peter 5: 8 makes is very clear that we have an enemy and identifies him, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Be sober and alert! Be aware! There is an enemy prowling around looking for prey. He has weapons like cancer and job layoffs. We, however, have greater weapons. We have the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6: 17). We have the blood of the lamb and we have our testimony. We can proclaim that we are safe from disease because of our strong tower. We can declare in Jesus’ name that our refuge protects us from the fiery arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6: 16).

You can pray this prayer every day and proclaim your protection, and I believe we should be doing just that. Picture yourself in an impenetrable tower and confess your faith that God is protecting you.

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Proven and True

On June 11, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Samuel 22: 31

God’s way is perfect! The promise of the Lord has proven to be true. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.

I really like when the Father starts showing me verse upon verse which combine to illuminate His teaching. Every verse this week has built upon the previous one. It began with “Blessing the Lord” in which we learned that believing God’s promises blesses Him. Today we arrive at a word of assurance.

We have been looking at a model for prayer. This model is dependent upon God’s Word and His promises. What if His promises are not meaningful or have expired? What if they are not full of God’s intent? If so, then the prayer model doesn’t work, and we have to go back to begging God to do something.

We needn’t worry though. God’s promises are tried and true. That have been tested and proven. That’s good news. I think, in this verse, we can also hear that His Word and His promises are places of refuge for us. We can rest securely in the promises of God. They are a shield but the key to the verse is that we must take refuge in Him. We must make God our place of refuge. We don’t run to the world for answers to our problems. We run to Him.

God is perfect but more importantly, His way is perfect, and His Word leads us to the perfect way. In Him and in His Word, we find the answers we need, and those answers lead us on the level and secure path. His promises never fail so we need only to retreat into those promises. Your Bible is a mighty weapon and a shield of faith and protection. It is the light burning in the sanctuary. All of His promises are, “Yes,” so renew yourself in His Word and find the strength, faith and refuge you need.

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Brotherly Love

On June 10, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 55: 16 – 18

As for me, I shall call upon God, And the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, And He will hear my voice. He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me.

This is a psalm of David and at once tragic, sad and victorious. David’s lament was not solely that his life was pursued relentlessly but rather that his life was sought by one he loved. The enemy was not a Philistine, as it were, but rather Saul whom he loved as a Father and revered wholly as his king. His devotion to Saul was absolute but, as is so often the case, the demon in Saul’s soul, the jealousy and emotional scars, set upon the innocent David.

Being pursued across the land, your very life in mortal peril night and day, was tortuous for David, as it would be for any of us. The greater tragedy though, is when your enemy is your brother. How, do you fight an enemy whom you love? How do you even defend yourself against your attacker when that attacker is a “friend”? Jesus actually had an answer for this dilemma. He said to pray for them. Since Jesus came, we have a clear mandate that we are supposed to love everyone. That means every enemy is one we are to love. Then how do we fight? We are not supposed to cause harm. So, Dad has us pray for them and in that simple act is our release and our victory.

David’s landing spot is very reminiscent of the 23rd Psalm. In Psalm 23, verse 4, David wrote, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.” Do you see the similarity with “He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me?” In the midst of battle, even when surrounded by foes, your soul can rest in peace because of God is the keeper of your soul.

I would point out one other thing about this passage. There is, perhaps, a better way to think of communicating our need to our Father than complaining and mourning though we will give those words their space. The Passion Translation translates that language as, “Every evening I will explain my need to him. Every morning I will move my soul toward him.” I quite like that, and I believe it almost visually depicts the reality that David lived. We emotionally, spiritually and mentally move ourselves towards God and in that, we receive the peace our souls long for.

The truth of life is that those who attack you are most often friends or loved ones. This reality makes the challenge harder and the pain more intense. None the less, our Father says to us that even in the midst of battle, or more to the point, when attacked, stand and be delivered. Your Father is knowledgeable and attentive. He knows your pain, you situation and the limitations you are under. Let Him be your refuge. Let Him rescue you. It really is the only viable plan. Move your heart closer to Him and let Him comfort and keep you.  Call upon God.

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Stirred, not Shaken

On March 25, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 46: 1 – 2

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. That is why we are not afraid even when the earth quakes or the mountains topple into the depths of the sea.

Imagine, for a moment, standing on a bluff. Beneath your feet you feel the earth quaking as if shivering from a sudden chill. In the near distance you see a mountain as large as any mountain you have ever seen. While you look upon it, it crumbles like cheese, and the whole mountain tumbles into the sea. Where once stood a mountain, there is now nothing. Imagine, as you stand there, the earth still moving beneath your feet, that you feel no fear. Picture yourself standing there and see the confidence portrayed on your face. You have nothing to fear because your God is a strong refuge, a very real and very present help in the time of trouble.

You may never witness a cataclysmic event like described above, but then again, you may. There are places in the world where one could be exposed to seismic activity on this scale. All of us face those times, though, when our world is crumbling around us. The strong people and institutions we have relied upon fall into the sea, never to be seen again. It is in those times that we are best served if we have thought about, nay meditated on, this verse until its encouragement is integrated into the very fiber of our being. We need this assurance in that day.

Psalm 62: 6 reads, “He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken.” Can you currently say that with conviction? Maybe you believe it, intellectually, but it is not buried in the soil of your heart. Perhaps, it has not yet taken root. In that day when our world is shaken, we need the kind of assurance these scriptures boast of. One only acquires this level of confidence in one of two ways; either you have experienced standing on the rock and know the truth of this statement or you have meditated on it enough that your spirit is convinced.

These psalms are written by people who saw the strong tower, the mighty refuge of God. They not only boast of the Lord in song but also their songs are an attempt to transfer their experience, wisdom and conviction to the rest of us. You will never go wrong by basking in the Psalms. They are great encouragement and I hope (& pray) that you find encouragement in today’s excerpt from Psalm 46.

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Run? I Think Not!

On November 13, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 11: 1

I have taken refuge in the Lord. How can you say to me: “Flee to your mountain like a bird?

I am happy to be back in a psalm of David. Not that the others are bad but there is a richness in his writing. I think what I like most is his authenticity and intimacy with the Lord.

Let me rephrase today’s verse just so you get the full flavor of it, “How can you say to me: ‘Flee to your mountain like a bird?’ I have taken refuge in the Lord.” Does it make better sense like that? I love the incredulity in David’s voice. “How dare you advise me, in your worldly wisdom, to flee. My sanctuary is the Lord!” I love his bold confidence in our God and his complete unwillingness to live below God’s covenant promises.

Why should we flee to the mountains? Why should we hide out in caves? Our hiding place is God Almighty! We reside in the palm of His hand. We little Christians are scurrying around all over the planet looking for help, looking for shelter. Fear and worry harangue our every move. It feels as though our enemy is as close as our shadow. That wasn’t David’s view though.

Listen to the words of King David as revealed from the Passion translation. He said, “Lord, don’t you hear what my well-meaning friends keep saying to me?” David’s reaction was,  “But don’t they know, Lord, that I have made you my only hiding place? Don’t they know that I always trust in you?” How could they advise David? They could not because they could not see from his perspective. In verse 5 we see David’s confidence because God is on His throne. All is under His eyes. Because of this, David knew all would be well.

Do you see why I love David so? I look forward to meeting him. I will tell him how his songs blessed me but even more how his faith in God and his absolute trust in the Almighty impacted my life. I hope you will let a little of David rub off on you as well.

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