God is your refuge

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Renewed hope”

Our Bible verse of today: “Be my rock of protection, a fortress where I will be safe … I entrust my spirit into your hand … Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress. Tears blur my eyes. My body and soul are withering away … But I am trusting in you, O Lord, saying, “You are my God!” My future is in your hands … Let your favor shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me.” Psalm 31:2;5;9;14-15;16

Our thought for today: “God is your refuge”

What do you do when it seems like the bottom has dropped out in your life; or when circumstances are difficult and overwhelming and it feels like the walls are closing in on you? Maybe you lost your job, or sickness has come upon you or a loved one, or you have been betrayed by a friend, or a loved one has died, or … a thousand other things. Life can be hard sometimes.

Psalm 31 provides us with an illustration of how one man handled it when his life was in chaos. When David wrote Psalm thirty-one, he was in great despair. Enemies were after him, life seemed to be closing in on him, and he was calling out to God to rescue him, protect him, and restore him. In the verses quoted above I drew out several of David’s appeals to God and his affirmations about God. The point is, David knew Who to turn to in such a time and he knew what to expect once he had.

I believe the key to the entire Psalm is found in verse 2 when David refers to God as a fortress where he will be safe. In other words, David saw God as His refuge. In the middle of turmoil, he found a sense of safety and security in God’s embrace. There was peace and even hope waiting for David when he turned to God. That’s because God is our place of refuge and our source for renewed hope.

God is there for us when we come to Him in private like that, and He is there for us in a similar manner through the community of believers. God accomplishes much of His work in our lives through our brothers and sisters in Christ. Many of the blessings of God, and His answers to our prayers, come to us through other Christians. And that’s why a good church is a place of refuge from the storms of life. It’s a place where you can go to find grace, peace, love, support, encouragement, and help. That’s what we do for each other, and when we do, it is God working through us to minister to that person in their time of deep need. We all need a place of refuge and a good church family will be exactly that.

God is our refuge in both a private personal way, and through the ministry of the church. I encourage you to seek Him in both of those ways.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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