Psalm 9:9-10
9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a refuge in times of trouble.
10 Those who know Your name trust in You
because You have not abandoned
those who seek You, LORD.
Psalm 61:1-4
1 God, hear my cry;
pay attention to my prayer.
2 I call to You from the ends of the earth
when my heart is without strength.
Lead me to a rock that is high above me,
3 for You have been a refuge for me,
a strong tower in the face of the enemy.
4 I will live in Your tent forever
and take refuge under the shelter of Your wings
Psalm 119:114
114 You are my shelter and my shield;
I put my hope in Your word.
Jeremiah 16:19-21
19 LORD, my strength and my stronghold,
my refuge in a time of distress,
the nations will come to You
from the ends of the earth, and they will say,
“Our fathers inherited only lies,
worthless idols of no benefit at all.”
20 Can one make gods for himself?
But they are not gods.
21 “Therefore, I am about to inform them,
and this time I will make them know
My power and My might;
then they will know that My name is Yahweh.”
Related Text:
2 Samuel 22:3 & 31
Psalm 46, Psalm 59:16-17, Psalm 71, Psalm 91
Isaiah 25:1-5
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These verses are great to return to when you feel lonely, hurt, or scared (which could be pretty often). It’s exciting to know that God promises to comfort you in times of trouble. It is thrilling to be able to trust in God who will be our unbreakable fortress when everything else is crashing down on us!
A typical action we take during tough times is to run to friends. This can be both good and bad (depending on the friends, ha). Fiends can provide comfort and direction, but they also have a history of sometimes making things worse or even abandoning us when we need them most.
BUT GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE US! He’s consistent, mightier, has more wisdom, more power, and He is able to provide us with hope and strength for our specific hurt.
Let these verses remind us to run to God and rest in Him. Seek Him as our refuge, as the place we go when nothing is going good. As a bunch of messed up sinners (just like the Israelites in the OT) we so often run to anything but God to fix our pain and problems. We try to be Mr. Fix-It, but we use tools like money, excuses, alcohol, food, shopping sprees, drugs, sex, and advice from the most ridiculous places. I encourage you, that if you ever find yourself in those situations where things are bad, worse, or terrible, RUN to God. Go against everything your sinful body craves to try to fix the problem, and jump up into the lap of your heavenly father!
Real quick, let’s return to the idea of friends. As Christians, as believers in the One True God, God Most High, and followers of Jesus our Savior, let us be used by God in the lives of our friends who are going through pain and problems. Let us not make things worse or turn our back and abandon our friends in their times of great need. Let God use us to help our friends up into His lap!
