May 24, 2016

MY STRENGTH AND MY REFUGE

Psalm 31:1-5 (30:2-6 LXX)

In You, O Lord, I hope; may I not be ashamed forever;
In Your righteousness deliver and rescue me.
Incline Your ear to me;
Rescue me speedily;
Be to me a God who protects me,
And a house of refuge to save me.
For You are my strength and my refuge,
And for Your name's sake You will guide and sustain me;
For You will bring me out from the snare they hid for me;
For You are my protector.
Into Your hands I shall entrust my spirit;
You redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

Encouraging Words

Life has a way of closing in on us and convincing us that there is nothing or no one that can rescue us or protect us. So we often give in to the pressure and let the world take over. But this is not true. God is our deliverer and rescuer. He does protect us. He provides for us a place of refuge. He provides us strength and guidance. It is so much easier to recognise this in the hard times when we have spent the good times under His protective wings. Then when the hard times hit, His place of refuge is familiar and comforting to us. It is never God that distances Himself from us. We are always the ones who walk away from Him and then wonder where He is in our times of need. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!