Recently, my family and I came face-to-face with some unexpected challenges. The challenges we are facing are not unique only to us, but they definitely caught us off-guard and completely by surprise. The last several weeks have been a time of putting our faith to the test. I am thankful that God knew that in this world we would have challenges and struggles, but He told us ahead of time that we don’t have to face them alone.
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. Psalm 46-1 (NLT)
One thing I like to do to add depth to my understanding of a verse is to look up the key word(s) in a thesaurus. It lets me know what other words carry the same or similar meaning. For this verse, I looked up the words “refuge” and “strength.”
Refuge – fortress, hideaway, protection, shelter.
Strength – courage, energy, power, stability, tenacity, toughness.
If you will, allow me to rewrite the verse using these words:
God is our protection and courage…
God is our hideaway and power….
God is our shelter and our stability…
Maybe today you are dealing with your own set of challenges and struggles. You can rest in God, knowing that He is your protection; He is your tenacity and toughness to make it through. And don’t forget that one of the amazing aspects of God’s character is, as this verse says, He is always ready to help.
Another amazing aspect of God’s character is found in Hebrews 13.8:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
I can see a lot of examples where Jesus was there in the middle of a situation and brought the person out. I see where Jesus healed a man with blindness. I see where fishermen hadn’t caught fish all night, but when Jesus showed up, the nets began to break from the sudden influx of fish. I see where Jesus healed a little girl who had already died.
The question I had to ask myself, and I ask you to ask yourself today, is this:
If I really believe Hebrews 13.8, then why would I think He wouldn’t do that for me?
If He healed yesterday, then He will heal today and tomorrow.
If He provided yesterday, then He will provide today and tomorrow.
Be encouraged by knowing…
You are not the exception to God’s being the same yesterday, today, and forever!
