God Is Our Refuge During Calamity
By David J. Stewart | February 2014
Psalms 57:1, “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.”
The word “refuge” is mentioned 17 times in the book of Psalms and 45 times
throughout the Old Testament. Jesus is the Christian believer's refuge in
the time of storm...
The Lord's our Rock, in Him we hide,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
Secure whatever ill betide,
A Shelter in the time of storm.
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A weary land, a weary land;
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A shelter in the time of storm.
Read the following precious Scripture. Psalms 57:1, “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.” When calamity strikes, run under the omnipotent and loving shadow of God's divine protection and care. The Lord is our big Brother to protect us, our heavenly Father to watch over us, our Deliverer to rescue us, and our Rock of stability during the unstable times of our life.
The Psalmist said that his soul trusted in God, and until the storms of life passed over he was going to seek shelter in the shadow of God's divine protection. That is the correct Biblical way to respond to calamity when in happens. When you feel inexplicable emotional pain, or that no one in this world understands you or your circumstances, I promise you that God knows exactly what you're enduring and feeling, in every smallest detail.
Hebrews 2:17-18, “Wherefore in all things it behoved [was necessary] him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.”
And again we read concerning our beloved heavenly High Priest, Jesus...
Hebrews 4:14-16, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
By the
precious blood of Jesus every believer has a God-given right to approach
God's throne of mercy, to obtain grace to HELP IN TIME OF NEED. All we need
to do is pray, the rest is the Lord's department. You don't have to pray
long, because the Lord already knows your needs before you even ask (Matthew
7:7-8). James 4:6 teaches that God resists THE PROUD who don't pray, but
giveth grace to help THE HUMBLE who do pray in time of need. We ought to
always pray and faint [quit] not (Luke 18:1) at all times (1st Thessalonians
5:17), but God honors all prayers at all times if we are His child by faith
in Jesus Christ. Proverbs 15:29, “The LORD is far from the wicked: but
he heareth the prayer of the righteous.”
The God Of All Comfort
The Apostle Paul had suffered horrible trials and tribulation while traveling through Asia, so bad in fact that he stated in 2nd Corinthians 1:8, “we despaired even of life.”
"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort." —2nd Corinthians 1:3
In writing of God's sustaining grace concerning the poet William Cowper, Joseph Larson said . . .
“It was William Cowper on his way in a cab to the Thames River to commit suicide, who, when the driver could not find it for the dense fog, returned to his house and thanking God for the fog, wrote:
God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps on the sea,
And rides upon the storm.Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan His works in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.”
Trials can make life seem not worth living. Paul said in 2nd Corinthians 1:9, "But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead." In other words, Paul says, “We felt as if we were under a death sentence and all hope was gone. But we suffered so that we would stop trusting ourselves and learn to trust God, Who raises the dead.” God will oftentimes bring a Christian to the point in life where there is no direction to look except up, to where all we have left is our faith. When all you have is God, God is all you need. God brought the Apostle Paul to the point where he even despaired life itself, so that Paul would learn to trust completely in God. You'll never know that Christ is all you need until Christ is all you have left.
Revelation 14:11, “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”
