Winter Fire – Mighty God - Thursday
Today’s Verse
Psalm 46:1
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (NIV)
We all have moments when we realize what it means to not have control. On good days, when life seems to go according to plan, it is easy to look to our own knowledge and our own strength, leaning on an incomplete view of life, one that fails to encompass our Creator. God is in control, of course, but we can be quick to forget this and often have expectations as to where life is going, what will happen next, and how we will conduct ourselves in the days ahead.
In my junior year of high school, I read through the book of James a few times in a row. One morning, I read these words in James 4:13-15, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” In my immaturity, I laughed a little at this thought. Clearly, I needed that exhortation.
By that evening, my good friend had been admitted to the hospital with a brain bleed, and she remained in a medically induced coma for at least two full weeks. I felt overwhelmed with emotions and truly, it was all I could do to turn them over to Jesus. After all, what do I know? God is the one who is mighty, sovereign, and all-knowing. My perspective on life shifted and I knew that I had no idea what the future held. God used this season to remind me that it is His strength that matters most, not my own. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” God reminded me so many times in that season that I could come to Him, and He was right. The psalmist didn’t lie—God is our refuge and our strength. He is an ever-present help in times of trouble.
(For anyone wondering the end of the story, God chose to use this time to demonstrate His might. Doctors predicted my friend would never re-learn to walk, talk, or complete basic tasks on her own, but God had other plans. She regained physical and cognitive abilities, most of her sight, and graduated on time.)
REFLECTION
Today, ask God to reveal Himself to you as your source of strength. Pray that the Lord might open your eyes to His work in your life and praise Him for what He has done.
