Friday, April 26, 2013

Weekly Devotional - April 26, 2013

"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him."
Nahum 1:7 NIV

I remember walking into an empty house. It wasn't unexpected but it was a shock. You can't prepare for brokenness. You can't fully brace yourself for trouble. Life as I had known it was over. A different horizon was before me; one that I had not predicted or planned or wanted.

But the Lord is good. I had told that to others over and over. Now I had to apply it personally. It's easier to tell others how they should react. Sometimes we even become self-righteous in our response when they don't react like we think they should.

Then it was my turn. My friend Kenny Bishop recorded a song a few years ago that came out of his own experiences, similar to mine in some ways. The lyric that runs through my mind says, "When a sister had some trouble I said, 'You're reaping what you sow.' And then I found some trouble of my own."

We aren't immune to troubles. Life's just that way. Count on needing refuge at some point in your life. And when you do, where will you turn? I turned to the Lord and asked him to help me. I decided to trust him even in troubled times. I committed my life anew to him. Even Christians have troubles and the Lord is good. He is our refuge.

I still live with scars from that period of my life. But remember that scars are not jus the signs of trouble but the signs of healing. I thank God that my wounds are healed and not still open. Because I trusted him and sought refuge in him, I found him to be good, to be the healer, to be closer than my closest friend.

And that's who you'll find him to be. God is exactly what you need when you are in trouble. You can try to recover or heal or figure it out on your on. Or you can trust in the Lord. You'll find that he is good and that he cares for you. Pray that God will help you in your times of trouble as you trust in him.

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