God Is Our Refuge and Strength

Transcript

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Welcome back to Beyond Sunday and Day eight of Anchored in God's promises. I'm so thankful you've made it here today. Whether you're listening in the middle of a busy morning or trying to reset your heart before the day picks up, speed. These few moments in God's word are never wasted. Today's promise is for weary, for the ones carrying more than they want to admit. It's found in Psalm 46, 1. God is our refuge and strength and ever present help and trouble. This verse has been a lifeline for generations of believers. Those who are at their breaking point, yet found something unshakeable in the presence of God. Let's begin with the word refuge. A refuge is a place you run to for shelter. It's where you go when the storm rolls in, when danger draws near, when the world outside is too much. And David says that's who God is not, was not who God will be someday. But that he is our refuge right now. Think about that. God doesn't just offer protection. He is the protection. He invites you to run to him, to rest in Him, to find security, not in your plans or your bank account or your ability to fix everything, but simply in him. If life feels like it's closing in on you today, remember this, God is not distant from your pain. He is the place where your pain finds peace. The next phrase reminds us that he's not just a safe place. He's the strength we need inside the storm. Let's be honest. Sometimes we feel too weak to even pray, let alone push through the entire day. We say things like, I can't do this anymore, or I'm barely holding it together, but here's the good news. You don't have to be strong enough because he is. His strength is made perfect in your weakness. Second Corinthians 12, nine, which means your limits don't scare him. They invite him. It's often in the moments when we admit I can't, that God shows up and says, I already knew. Let me carry this with you. That phrase that he says, ever present help might be the most comforting part. It means God doesn't clock out, he doesn't lose your location. He doesn't get tired of showing up. He is constantly near, especially when things get hard. If you're walking through trouble right now, relational tension, financial stress, grief, depression, this promise is for you. You don't have to earn his help. You don't have to beg for his presence. He's already there. Sometimes we miss him because we're expecting a dramatic rescue, but God often shows up in the quiet, a moment of peace in the chaotic day, a verse that speaks directly to your situation. A friend who texts at just the right time, the strength to take one more step when you thought you were done. He's helping you even when you don't see it yet. There was a season in my life where I felt completely depleted, physically, emotionally, spiritually. I was still doing ministry, still showing up for people, but inside I was barely hanging on. One morning I sat in my car outside the church building and read Psalm 46, 1, and I just said out loud, God, I need you to be this today. Not a memory, not a metaphor. I need refuge. I need strength, I need help. And he was. Now, the storm didn't disappear, but I stopped trying to survive it alone. So here's your challenge today. Take a moment to name where you feel weak. Name the storm, call it out. Then speak this verse aloud. God is my refuge and strength and ever present help in this trouble. Let that truth, push back the fear. Let it anchor your heart and something stronger than the struggle. Let's pray. God, thank you that we don't have to pretend to be strong when we're not. Thank you for being our safe place, our steady strength, our constant help. Remind us today that you are closer than the chaos and stronger than the fear we run to you now. In Jesus' name, amen. Thanks for spending these few moments with me today. If today's message spoke over you, would you share it with someone who's in the storm? That's how we remind each other that we're not alone. Just shoot'em that verse this morning. I will see you right back here tomorrow as we dive into another moment of scripture.