September 14, 2021
My Safe Place
Mary Southerland
Today’s Truth
Lord, You are my strength and my protection. You are a safe place for me to run to in times of trouble... (Jeremiah 16:19 NCV).
Friend to Friend
No one would call George Smith a coward. Smith was a daring jet test pilot in the 1950's when the sound barrier was first being broken. He could face anything - until he had to bail out of a jet going 805 miles per hour. Smith survived, but he was hospitalized for weeks.
Smith shared his fear of ever flying again with one of the nurses who had become a friend. The nurse smiled and said, “I have an antidote to fear. It is courage. To have courage is to know the worst, and to discover that in God's economy, the very worst can't really hurt you."
George Smith reminds me of Job.
Job was an extraordinary man, husband, father, and leader who served God faithfully. Hisfaithfulness to God in prosperity was a powerful testimony, but his faithfulness to God in the face of death, pain, and despair was even more powerful.
Did Job doubt and question God?
Absolutely!
Did Job openly and honestly grieve his loss and weep in his pain?
Yes!
But Job remained faithful to God, even when he did not understand why God would let him endure such suffering. Job did not like God’s plan, but he chose to follow it.
Job stood firm in his faith even when his heart and body was broken. God was pleased with Job and rewarded him for his faithfulness.
The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first (Job 42:12).
I am sure you are no stranger to trials. Neither am I.
The lab report came back malignant.
The school called, demanding a child who has just been expelled be picked up.
A husband said he no longer wants to be married.
Financial disaster seems certain while dependable friends seem to vanish.
Yes, storms will come, and bad things will happen – even to fully devoted followers of God like Job – like you and me. Exactly!
God doesn’t always deliver us immediately.
God doesn’t always deliver us in a way that seems logical to us.
God doesn’t always deliver us like we want to be delivered.
But God always delivers us.
If we count on strength from anyone or anything other than God Himself, we will be miserably disappointed. He is our safe place.
Jeremiah 16:19 offers a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving for God’s hand of deliverance: “Lord, You are my strength and my protection. You are a safe place for me to run to in times of trouble” (NCV)”
Trials are an important part of life. We desperately try to avoid all pain. When a crisis hits, we frantically search for the nearest exit. Instead, we need to learn to embrace pain and harvest the truth it holds. Every trial holds a seed of victory, a treasure in the darkness.
“And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name” (Isaiah 45:3 NLT).
The most beautiful life is often the most broken life. The ashes of death and brokenness may very well be the fertile soil from which a new life of victory and promise will grow. God is forever covering each pain with His infinite love and mercy, bringing hope and encouragement where there was once only despair and death.
Where is God when the winds pick up and the churning waters pummel your rocking boat?
God is where He has always been and where He always will be – right there with you during every stormy circumstance. Run into His waiting arms when you are afraid. Trust Him and rest in the amazing truth that He is with you. He is your safe place.
Let’s Pray
Father, I am so guilty of looking for the easiest way out of a painful circumstance instead of looking for Your hand at work. Please help me learn to trust You enough to keep my gaze on You and my glance on my circumstances. And even when my faith is weak, please teach me to place that faith in You alone.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
How would you describe your safe place?
When the hard times come, remember who God wants to be in your life.
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© 2021 by Mary Southerland. All rights reserved.
Originally published Tuesday, 14 September 2021.
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