God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1
Right at this moment the worst bushfires ever seen in our Australian State of Victoria are thundering through the countryside, destroying lives, homes, property, pastures and forest. Survivors are shocked, and broken, thankful and grieving, some are angry at their loss; firefighters are exhausted, endangered and some are wounded in action. Communities are wiped out and the death toll rises daily. It is a truly devastating situation.
A survivor who was interviewed on TV this morning told how the fire approached too fast for them to do anything but run down the paddock where they took cover under wet sheets and blankets in a wombat (Australian animal) hole until the fire had passed.
We surely live in days where uncertainty surrounds and sometimes overwhelms so many in our world. Finances, health issues, families in crisis, and a world in recession cause questions to loom in our minds concerning not only the future, but also the present. The sad truth is that many have no one or nowhere to turn to in their distress.
As Christians we are blessed that we know to whom we can turn in our trouble. As the hymn writer wrote so many years ago; ‘there is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God, a place where sin (fear, anxiety, stress) cannot molest, near to the heart of God.’ Yes these certainly are troubled times but believers have a place of refuge and strength. Our God is always ready to help us in times of trouble. We only need to call out to Him and He will help us.
What a wonderful comfort that is and what reassurance these words of the psalmist offer to us today. We can take cover, or refuge, in God. There is no better place to be. He is always there BUT, we need to come to Him. It is all too easy to forget that He’s there waiting and so we struggle along ‘doing the best we can’. How foolish is that, when help, strength, protection, provision and whatever else we may need is there waiting to be tapped into?
Faith is action. If we say we believe, we need to actively walk in the provision of God. His provision is a place of rest. Our lives lived in stress, anxiety and fear bring no glory to God at all. We are then no different from our unbelieving neighbours, but when, in the midst of uncertainty, disaster and loss we can snuggle into our Father’s arms and find peace and rest, then we show the world the benefits of a life of faith in the living God. The world may be more inclined to listen to our words of witness when they see our faith in action.
Prayer: Lord God, my Saviour and my strength, help me to trust you more and to actively show the power of your peace in my life every day, no matter what life brings. Amen
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