Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Our Ever-Present Help in Time of Need


“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble... The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” ~Psalm 46:1, 7 (NRSV).


There is a sharp divide in life. Ever two ways to go, we go deliberately or aimlessly. Sooner or later we do reach purposeless, however. This is when one of the many varieties of evil steps inside, and for a time we feel helpless to stop it.


Just as there are two ways to go—toward the Spirit or away—there are two ways to live: to believe actively in the Presence of God, or dispel what we’ve been taught; that the Lord has somehow vanished.


The devil wants to propagate that latter nonsense.


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The truth is, however, our covenant Lord has saved the uniqueness of his Presence for the very time we need it most.


This Presence of our God—as we practice it—is uniting us with ourselves. It takes the dire awkwardness of our current existence, and despite any pain, makes it somehow bearable.


The best of friends is there for when we need them most. God’s like that. But it gets better. When the Lord appears, as we presently know his Presence, we have precisely what the moment requires.


If you are in trouble, if you seek refuge, and need strength, the Lord is your answer; now, this instant. Cry out to him.


© 2011 S. J. Wickham.



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