4 Minute Read + Scripture readings
Today’s Bible Reading:
2 Samuel 10
2 Corinthians 3
Ezekiel 17
Psalms 60-61
Today’s Bible Verse(s):
Psalm 61:2–4 (CSB): “…Lead me to a rock that is high above me, for you have been a refuge for me, a strong tower in the face of the enemy. I will dwell in your tent forever and take refuge under the shelter of your wings.”
Reflections on Today’s Bible Verse(s):
You know what it’s like to be overwhelmed with life, don’t you? Sometimes things can get so chaotic, or even traumatic, that we feel uncertain, anxious, even frightened.
The picturesque language that the Psalmist uses in the verses that I have chosen paints a picture of someone who is experiencing various calamities and seeks the appropriate refuge.
- In a flash flood, he seeks “a rock that is high above me.”
- When he is being overwhelmed in an enemy’s attack, he seeks “a strong tower.”
- In a rain storm, he seeks “a tent” and “the shelter of (the Lord’s) wings.”
Get that! It’s so important. When the Psalmist was experiencing inner turmoil because of what was going on outside of him, he sought shelter in his God.
So, how does this work in our life?
When we read the Old Testament stories that talk about David, we realize that he was smart and strategic. He didn’t simply pray that his problems would go away – he used his strength and whit.
Yet, while he realized that he had certain responsibilities to respond appropriately to life’s hardships, he ultimately relied upon the God to whom he prayed. He realized that anything that he could do to protect himself from life’s difficulties would be futile unless God heard his prayers and blessed him.
That is what David rested in. The protection that David experienced in his God was his knowledge that God was listening to his prayers, blessing his actions, and not allowing anything to happen to him that He (God) didn’t approve of.
Friend, this is the way that God relates to us, too.
Are you going through hardships in life? Then seek shelter in God. That means that you are going to pray and rely upon the Lord. It doesn’t mean that you will necessarily be protected from the bad stuff in life but it does mean that you can rest in the fact that nothing can happen to you except what comes through your Father’s hands. And, even then, He has promised to work it all for your ultimate good … to make you more like Jesus (Romans 8:28-29).
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Lord Jesus, You are a shelter in times of storm. Yet, I realize that finding comfort in that truth doesn’t necessarily mean that I will be protected from bad things. It does, however, mean that I can find comfort in the fact that anything that happens to me has to go through Your hands first and is always intended for my ultimate good. If I don’t already think this way, help me to spend more time in Your Word, developing a mind that finds the comfort in You just as King David did. Amen.
Matt’s Musings 