READ: Psalm 46:1-2 NLT
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.
When disaster strikes it’s often without warning. A death, a car accident, a serious illness or a fall. In those moments of shaking it’s so important to know that we can look to God and know that he is our refuge and strength and always ready to help us.
As a minister I’ve often visited the homes of people at times of traumatic change. I remember once visiting an old lady who knew that she had terminal cancer and that she only had a short while to live. She lived in a dark cottage in a village and when I visited her it was late in the afternoon and there was very little light in the room where we met. But I will never forget her glowing smile in the fading light. She knew the Lord well and had every confidence that her life was in his hands. She knew without a doubt that God was her refuge and strength.
The next day I visited another person who was dying of cancer and the situation couldn’t have been more different. She had no Christian faith and the news of her cancer was a complete disaster, and she was terrified at the thought of death. It was an agonising situation and felt as unlike the previous day as could be imagined. I spoke to her about God’s love for her and told her that he wanted to walk with her and to fill her with his peace. I prayed with her and she was grateful for my visit. But what made me so sad was that she had lived a life that had offered her no preparation for this moment.
Let’s make sure that we place our lives firmly in God’s hands right now, so that whatever challenge we face we will be confident in the knowledge that God is our refuge and strength.




QUESTION: In what ways have you experienced God to be your refuge and strength?
PRAYER: Thank you, Lord, that I can look to the future with serenity and peace because you will never fail
to be my refuge and strength. Amen.

Released on 18 Feb 2021