A Prayer for God to Be Our Refuge
By Meg Bucher
“I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray. Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By your mighty power you rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies. Guard me as you would guard your own eyes. Hide me in the shadow of your wings. Protect me from wicked people who attack me, from murderous enemies who surround me. - Psalm 17:6-9 NLT
“OK,” my oldest daughter said to her little sister, “Come here.”
She simply held her, and let her cry on her shoulder, about a day gone wrong, an untrue rumor, and a friendship fight.
“I know we fight a lot,” she said to her little sis, “but we’re built-in best friends …you can always come to me and I will always be there for you.”
The sweet sound of them encouraging and comforting each other was an answer to a desperate prayer of mine for them to grow a solid, Christ-centered friendship out of their sisterhood. It also reminded me of God’s devotion to me.
God undoubtedly defends us, and shields us from what we can’t even see coming. But, the people He places faithfully in our lives can also serve as vessels of His love and protective hand over us. His comfort, compassion, and love for us. Psalm 57:1 reads:
“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by.” (NLT)
We can run to God, and collapse into Him in tears as my little did to her big sis. He will hold us, listen to us, and help us to move forward through hard days and painful trials. To the God of comfort, who hides us beneath the shadow of His wings, be all the glory.
Father,
Today we reach into Your Word to find Psalms full of hope and reminder of Your protective hand on our lives. We pray these truths over our days, and as a salve to our wounds. Many of us walk around in pain, isolated from the comfort You freely offer. Take our guard down to allow You to embrace us in tearful, hard, moments, God. We pray these words over our lives at this moment:
“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” - Psalm 91:1-4 NLT
Yes, and Amen, God. We pray to realize the shelter we live in through Christ Jesus, finding rest in the shadow of You, Almighty God. You are our refuge. We run to You for safety. Help us to increase our trust in You, day by day. Help us to increase our belief that you will protect us from disease and place the pieces of Your armored protection over us each day.
Father, we know each day has a purpose You will in our lives. On the days it is hard for us to stand up against all of the calamity and chaos in the world flying at our faces, help us to seek You and find You in moments of calm and clarity. Let Your peace reign our hearts, minds, and actions. Let Your Holy Spirit fall over us in a calm sense of purpose, yet renewed vigor to follow Jesus with more determination each day we live.
Thank You for life. Thank You for the people You have faithfully placed around us. Thank You for the talents, gifts, blessings, healings, and purposes You have weaved into our lives. Thank You for choosing us, Jehovah Jireh. In You, we have all we need. Let the verses of the Psalms we marinated our hearts in today feed our bodies, minds, and souls the strength we need to follow You wholeheartedly every day You will for us to walk this earth.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Meg Bucher writes about everyday life within the love of Christ as a freelance writer, blogger at Sunny&80, and author of “Friends with Everyone, Friendship within the Love of Christ,” “Surface, Unlocking the Gift of Sensitivity,” and “Glory Up, The Everyday Pursuit of Praise.” She earned a Marketing/PR degree from Ashland University, but stepped out of the business world to stay at home and raise her two daughters …which led her to pursue her passion to write. A member of Faith Church in Sandusky, OH, she serves her church family as a Bible study leader for women and teen girls. Meg is a Cleveland native and lifelong Browns fan, living by the shore of Lake Erie in Northern Ohio with her husband, two daughters and golden doodle.
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
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Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
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Originally published Thursday, 03 February 2022.
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