Where Do You Go First For Help?

January 14 (Psalm 118:9)

It is better to take refuge in the Lord

     than to trust in princes.  (ESV)

We are born into a story already well under way.  As a result, we assume and expect that the structures in place around us have it all together and exist for our benefit.  This is a reasonable perspective of parents for an infant to hold, but we often maintain it long afterward and extend it to teachers, coaches, and business and government leaders.  Even our casual conversations challenging the leaders around us are based on the idea that they should be able to meet all our needs and solve all our problems.

Friends, this is not even remotely realistic.  Yes, God often works through other people and sometimes intervenes directly in our lives, but we must always start by going to Him.  He may then direct us to someone or lead another person to speak into our situation, but the help comes from Him.  He is our refuge.

Sometimes my first thought is to email friends.  In my worse moments I try to handle problems myself or simply seek refuge in my own turbulent thoughts.  This, however, is more than a mistake.  It is a missed opportunity.  God wants us to take refuge in Him and to come to Him for the help we truly need.

Father, it is such a deep part of my approach to life to try to do things on my own, and because of that earth-bound outlook, when I do seek help, it is often not from You.  I confess and renounce that approach right now.  May my first call for help always be to You.  May You, and nothing else from which I have ever tried to get strength, be my refuge.  In the name of Jesus, Who has cleared the way for me to come freely to You, I pray.  Amen.

Copyright © 2018 by Steven R. Perkins

God My Everything

August 6 (Psalm 62:7)

My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.  (ESV)

God wants to be your everything.  He is your salvation, eternally through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and on earth as He guides you through the Holy Spirit.  He is your mighty rock, the place where you can stand firmly in truth and the knowledge of what is right, no small gift in an age that is losing the very notion of truth.  He is your refuge, the place where you can find comfort and protection amid the emotional, relational, and physical storms of life that would otherwise sweep you away.

He is also your honor.  Your honor, your glory, your nobility depend solely on Him, and because of that, you are noble, glorious, and honorable indeed, regardless of outward appearances to the world.  Your identity as a son or daughter of the Lord God of the universe is secure, untouchable, and shining throughout eternity.

Do not make your relationship with God through Jesus Christ a small thing.  Do not make it less than it is.  Do not minimize it.  It is the sum total of your existence and essence, for God is your everything.

O Lord, my God, when I ponder You but for the slightest moment, I am overwhelmed with awe and love, with gratitude and fierce devotion.  May all that I am and all that I have and all that I think and all that I say and all that I do reflect to the world the state of my relationship with You and bring You all the glory possible.  By the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

Copyright © 2017 by Steven R. Perkins