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Never Alone

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” —Psalm 46:1

 

None of us is immune from life’s storms. Perhaps the death of a loved one, a debilitating accident, a dreaded diagnosis, the loss of a home, property, or job—in an instant it can feel as if your whole world has been turned upside down and that you’re all alone.

This week’s verse offers a triumvirate of comfort that sustains us in life’s seasons of distress: refuge, strength, and presence.

Storms will come and go in life. Sometimes you see them coming on the horizon. Sometimes they stir up suddenly.

Either way, God is our shelter. Notice the psalmist didn’t say God “provides” refuge. He “is” our refuge.

Storms can be dangerous, violent, and strong. How do we bear their force? Notice again, God doesn’t just provide us strength; He is our strength.

And we’re not alone. In the midst of life’s storms, it’s key to remember God is ever-present. Even if you do not feel him near, he is there—“for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Wherever you are, the Great I Am is. As the psalmist testified:

“If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you” (Psalm 139:8-12).

Refuge. Strength. Presence. He is these things. The question becomes: Are you running to Him when life’s storms rage?

 

My prayer for this week:

Gracious Lord, it’s my desire to acknowledge and thank you in all seasons—storm and calm. Please strengthen my faith that I might truly rest in you, my refuge, strength, and ever-present help. Help me, also, to be an encouragement to others experiencing life’s storms.