COMFORT IN TRIALS
God Being Our Refuge and Strength
Psa. 46:1 God is our refuge and strength; / A help in distress, He is most readily found.
God Being Our Refuge and Strength
The first part of Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength.” A refuge is an extraordinary dwelling place, a guarded and protected resting place. God is not only our refuge but also our strength. A refuge is around us and outside of us, but strength is within us. When I am ill and I “take refuge” in a hospital, I am in the hospital outwardly, but I may have no strength within me. However, according to Psalm 46, when we have God as our refuge, we have Him also as our strength. God is both our protecting and resting place without and our strength within.
Psalm 46:1 continues, “A help in distress, He is most readily found.” God is not only our refuge and our strength but also our present help. As our help God has been well tested and well proved and is trustworthy and reliable in times of trouble and distress. (CWWL, 1969, vol. 1, “Miscellaneous Messages,” ch. 7)
Overshadowing us in His Grace
He is presently overshadowing His believers in His grace as a daytime shade from the heat and as a refuge and a cover from storm and rain (2 Cor. 12:9). Christ is the canopy to cover God’s interests, and He is also a tabernacle to be our shade and our refuge. The tabernacle is a shade, a refuge, and a cover. (Life-study of Isaiah, msg. 33)
I experienced Isaiah 12:2-4a when I was imprisoned by the invading Japanese army in 1943. I was threatened and interrogated for three hours twice a day for a period of time. But in the midst of my loneliness and suffering during that imprisonment, I called on the Lord Jesus with tears, and He became sweet, real, and present to me. I experienced Him as my refuge, covering, and salvation. (CWWL, 1972, vol. 3, “The Recovery of Enjoying Christ with His Riches for the Producing of the Church and the Keeping of the Oneness of the Spirit,” ch. 4)
Receiving God’s Mercy and Grace for Timely Help
through Praying at All Times
As children of God living on earth today, we need God’s mercy and grace for timely help. We must come to the throne of grace frequently through prayer to obtain this grace and mercy. Timely help is help that arrives when it is needed. If we want to receive timely help from God, we must come to the throne of grace and contact God frequently. We can receive God’s mercy and grace for timely help by frequently touching His throne and contacting Him in our spirit. Praying at all times is important for receiving grace and mercy. (CWWL, 1932-1949, vol. 3, “Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, vol. 3,” topic 32)
Prayer:
Oh, Lord Jesus, Praise You as my refuge and strength, a help in distress. I will turn to You and trust in You. I come forward to the throne of grace that I may receive Your help. Lord, I need You, I am willing to remain in You. Overshadow me in Your grace from storm and rain.