Look to the right and see: no one stands up for me;
there is no refuge for me; no one cares about me.
I cry to you, Lord; I say, “You are my shelter,
my portion in the land of the living.”
Listen to my cry, for I am very weak.
The righteous will gather around me
because you deal generously with me. – Psalm 142:4-6a, 7b
Protect me, God, for I take refuge in you.
I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have nothing good besides you.”
Lord, you are my portion and my cup of blessing; you hold my future.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
I will bless the Lord who counsels me—even at night when my thoughts trouble me.
I always let the Lord guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices; my body also rests securely.
You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy;
at your right hand are eternal pleasures. – Psalm 16:1-2, 5-6, 7-9, 11
Terrible trials happen in this broken world. Yet, we do not face them alone.
Our whole world has been rocked by the earthquake last week with shockwaves leveling parts of Turkey and Syria. Tens of thousands dead so far. A natural disaster? Horribly unnatural really. The weight of a messed up world comes crashing down sometimes, and we can NOT explain it. Only grieve…and hope.
What Does It Mean that All Creation Groans (Romans 8:22)
You may be suffering yourself in ways not as devastating as the earthquake above, but deeply significant to you personally. We seek the Lord for refuge…for shelter…and we find it.
We have dear friends and loved ones experiencing their own losses right now…heavy ones. Financial devastation. A betrayal in marriage. Drug addiction. Metastatic cancer. Sudden death of a spouse and father.
Grieving but not without hope.
Just this past week, I was checking Twitter and someone I follow retweeted an update on Jacob & Rachel Hale. Jacob is a pastor and his wife has metastatic cancer. Their faith, courage, and even joy in the wake of this situation are the attributes of those who know God, and know Him to be good.
We just watched the season finale of The Chosen (Episodes 7 & 8, Season 3) – Remember this TV show is a story of Jesus and his disciples. Much of it is Biblical and it has never strayed, in these three seasons, from the character of Christ and the recorded obedience of the apostles. Within the story in this episode, we have a situation where Simon Peter is angry at the Lord for not healing his wife. He doesn’t doubt who Jesus is (the Messiah, Savior, Son of God), but he doubts His actions. [This episode includes the feeding of the five thousand…very powerful.] In the final scene, the disciples are in a boat in a terrible storm. Jesus comes to them, walking on water. Simon Peter gets out of the boat, in faith, and begins walking towards Him, like Jesus, on the water. Then he takes his eyes off Christ and begins sinking, overwhelmed by the height of the waves and the terror of the storm. Jesus rescues him and gets him back into the boat. You can hear Peter saying over and over, as he clings to Jesus, “Don’t let me go!” As he is murmuring these words, another scene reveals Peter’s wife, without knowing his situation but knowing his heart, praying in the same way: “Don’t let him go.” Jesus said to Simon Peter [this is not taken from Scripture per se but is taken from the whole of His messages to us]: “I’ve got you. I have much planned for you, Simon. Including hard things. Just keep your eyes on Me. I promise. I’m here. I’m always here. I let people go hungry, and I feed them.”
Throughout Scripture, we can see His comfort, His promises, and His affirmations that He is our refuge, our shelter from the storm. No matter what happens, even when it feels so and seems so, we are NOT shaken. He is the same God as He has always been.
Worship with me.
I’m calling on the God of Jacob
Whose love endures through generations
I know that You will keep Your covenant
I’m calling on the God of Moses
The One who opened up the ocean
I need You now to do the same thing for me
For me, for me
O God, my God, I need You
O God, my God, I need You now
How I need You now
O Rock, O Rock of Ages
I’m standing on Your faithfulness
On Your faithfulness
I’m calling on the God of Mary
Whose favor rests upon the lowly
I know with You all things are possible
I’m calling on the God of David
Who made a shepherd boy courageous
I may not face Goliath but I’ve got my own giants!
O God, my God, I need You
O God, my God, I need You now
How I need You now, yes
O Rock, O Rock of Ages
I’m standing on Your faithfulness
On Your faithfulness
O God, my God, I need You (I need You, Lord)
O God, my God, I need You now
How I need You now, yeah
O Rock, O Rock of Ages
I’m standing on Your faithfulness
On Your faithfulness
It’s Your faithfulness I’m standing on
Never changes, never changes
You heard Your children then, You hear Your children now
You are the same God, You are the same God
You answered prayers back then and You will answer now
You are the same God, You are the same God
You were providing then, You are providing now
You are the same God (You are the same), You are the same God (Yeah)
You moved in power then, God, move in power now
You are the same God, You are the same God
You were a healer then, You are a healer now
You are the same God, You are the same God
You were a Savior then, You are a Savior now
You are the same God, You are the same God
O God, my God, I need You (Lifted up)
O God, my God, I need You now (How we need You now)
How I need You now (We stand in faithfulness)
O Rock, O Rock of Ages
I’m standing on Your faithfulness
Oh, on Your faithfulness
O God, my God, I need You
O God, my God, I need You now
How I need You now (Oh-oh)
O Rock, O Rock of Ages
I’m standing on Your faithfulness
It’s Your faithfulness
You’re the same God (Yes, You are)
You’re the same God
This is who we worship tonight, yeah
He’s the same, He’s the same
O God, how I need You
How I need You now
You freed the captives then, You’re freeing hearts right now
You are the same God, You are the same God
You touched the lepers then, I feel Your touch right now
You are the same God, You are the same God
Never changes, oh forever
We feel You now
You are the same God, You are the same God, yeah
How we need You now, yeah
I’m calling on the Holy Spirit
Almighty river, come and fill me again
(Let that be your prayer tonight)
Come and fill me again
(Come and fill me)
Come and fill me again*
