JANUARY 20
The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble (Ps. 9:9).
A Christian worker from New York City, visiting the well-known Eliada Orphanage, told the children how in that great city there were signs reading "Safety First" put up everywhere to keep people from danger. One little fellow said, "But down here we have 'God First.' " How true it is that the greater includes the lesser. The individuals who put God first in their life are assured safety. The Most High becomes their habitation, and no evil will befall them (Ps. 91:9, 10). Whatever comes, God will care for them, and they will have a place of refuge.
Every soul needs a refuge. Sooner or later we all must find a place of safety, an impregnable fortress. Sometimes the world is too much for us, and we must flee to that "place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God." Our Lord Jesus Christ said to His weary disciples, "Come ye...apart...and rest a while" (Mark 6:31).
Our great enemy, the devil, is a merciless oppressor. His service is cruel bondage. But the Lord offers freedom to the oppressed. He has proclaimed "liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" (Lev. 25:10). He offers pardon, hope, and peace to sinners. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself" (2 Cor. 5:19). But let us remember that our text promises a refuge to earnest Christians. In every time of trouble the Lord is their refuge. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1). And He pleads, "Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope" (Zech. 9:12).
The Lord's our Rock, in Him we hide,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
Secure whatever may betide,
A shelter in the time of storm.
__Vernon J. Charlesworth
MEDITATION PRAYER: "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust" (Ps. 18:2).
The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble (Ps. 9:9).
A Christian worker from New York City, visiting the well-known Eliada Orphanage, told the children how in that great city there were signs reading "Safety First" put up everywhere to keep people from danger. One little fellow said, "But down here we have 'God First.' " How true it is that the greater includes the lesser. The individuals who put God first in their life are assured safety. The Most High becomes their habitation, and no evil will befall them (Ps. 91:9, 10). Whatever comes, God will care for them, and they will have a place of refuge.
Every soul needs a refuge. Sooner or later we all must find a place of safety, an impregnable fortress. Sometimes the world is too much for us, and we must flee to that "place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God." Our Lord Jesus Christ said to His weary disciples, "Come ye...apart...and rest a while" (Mark 6:31).
Our great enemy, the devil, is a merciless oppressor. His service is cruel bondage. But the Lord offers freedom to the oppressed. He has proclaimed "liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" (Lev. 25:10). He offers pardon, hope, and peace to sinners. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself" (2 Cor. 5:19). But let us remember that our text promises a refuge to earnest Christians. In every time of trouble the Lord is their refuge. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1). And He pleads, "Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope" (Zech. 9:12).
The Lord's our Rock, in Him we hide,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
Secure whatever may betide,
A shelter in the time of storm.
__Vernon J. Charlesworth
MEDITATION PRAYER: "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust" (Ps. 18:2).
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