A very present help
Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength. As Eugene Peterson paraphrases it in The Message, "God is a safe place to hide." Chasah, or refuge, is a word that's needed when a nation finds itself shaking on the rock. The news of tragic events in our country and our world is enough to grab you by the neck and make you tremble. Several years ago, I found myself not sleeping very well due to some of these events—that is, until I remembered Psalm 46 and called to mind my chasah, "a very present help in trouble."
Words
Ecclesiastes 12:9-14
"A word fitly spoken," wrote the wise Solomon, "is like apples of gold in settings of silver" (Proverbs 25:11 KJV).
God doesn't have to explain Himself
Psalm 139:1-6
Even in the midst of disappointment, surprise, and mystery, you will discover an amazing thing. You will discover how very reliable and trustworthy God is—and how secure you are in His hands. And oh, how we need that in this day of relativism and vacillation, filled with empty talk and hidden behind a lot of semantic footwork. In the midst of "Spin City," it is the Lord who talks straight. It is the Lord who has preserved Truth in black and white in His Word. And it is the Lord who has the right to do as He wishes around us, to us, and in us.
Salt and light
Matthew 6:1-16
Ours is a tough, rugged, wicked world. Aggression, rebellion, violence, cutthroat competition, and retaliation abound. Not just internationally, but personally. What is true in the secret council chambers of nations is also true behind closed doors of homes. We are stubborn, warring people. Outside of riots and war, studies have concluded, the most dangerous place to be is in the American home! With domestic violence and child abuse on the rise in our hard, hostile society, one might wonder what possible influence the servants of Christ can have.
Helping each other up
Hebrews 10:19-25
Several years ago my family and I were invited to spend Thanksgiving weekend at a picturesque ski resort in Colorado with about five hundred single young adults, most of whom were staff personnel with Campus Crusade. I spoke all week on the subject of servanthood, emphasizing the importance of believers being those who help, encourage, affirm, and care for others.
A tree fell in Fullerton
1 Corinthians 10:11-13
One year a large section of a tree fell not far from where we had lived for over 22 years. Within minutes several of us had gathered to grieve the loss. As I stood there staring in disbelief, the thought struck me, This happened only minutes ago...but it's been in the process of happening for a long, long time. No tree just suddenly breaks apart. Once we were able to see beneath the thick bark at the break, it was obvious that some kind of killer disease had been at work for years.
The real thing
Galatians 2:20
Back in 1958 when I was a young marine stationed on the island of Okinawa, I became closely associated with a man I deeply admired. His name was Bob Newkirk.
I didn't know what it was exactly that first drew me to Bob. More than anything else, I guess, there was something refreshingly unpretentious about him. He was devoted to the things of the Lord, no question, but it was never on parade, never for the purpose of public display. And I loved that.
The secret place
Psalm 27:8; Psalm 91:1
The psalmist said, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty" (Psalm 91:1).
Do you have a place of shelter where you seek only His face? Do you spend time in that secret place?
Have you given prayer the priority it deserves? And when you pray, do you remember that it is the Lord's face you seek?