Fear Not #1 – God our Refuge

Sometimes when I have felt anxiety or fear, it was triggered by something specific. Other times it was just a vague sense of dread as though I was about to receive some bad news.

Isaiah tells us that God is “a refuge for the needy in their distress” (Isaiah 25:4).

The psalmist tells us the same: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). I have often repeated this to myself and prayed it for others.

The word “trouble” in the original language means “to be restricted, to tie up, to be narrow, cramped.”

• When we experience troubles tightly squeezing around us, God himself is our refuge – a place of warmth and comfort and rest and safety and security.

• When we feel weak and helpless, God himself is our strength – a place of personal and spiritual renewal, a place of being re-energized.

• When we find ourselves in a situation we can’t get out of, God himself is our ever-present help – a place of understanding and support, always available in any and every situation.

Our troubles may cause feelings of concern and caution. But we don’t need to be overcome by our anxiety and fear, or use pain avoiding behavior. We can receive God’s grace and strength to help us in our time of need.

With Christ as our refuge, we can face our past, because we have been forgiven by God’s grace.

We can face our present, because we are strengthened by God’s presence.

We can also face our future, because we can be certain of God’s love.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Action Step: In what you’re facing today, what would it mean for you to take God as your refuge?

~ Pastor Dave