In Nahum 1:7 we are told, "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for them that trust Him." Scripture tells us that when we are confronted with problems and troubles in the normal grind of life the God of heaven is there for us to go to for protection and comfort.
However, receiving the protection and comfort God has to give is contingent upon a couple of things: COMING to Him and TRUSTING Him. The settlers mentioned may know there is safety in the fort but if they choose not to go to the fort then they will not be able to take advantage of safety it has to offer. In the same vain, if they come to the fort but refuse to go in because it doesn't look all that secure to them, then, likewise they will not receive the benefits it has to offer.
Every human being in life is faced with problems. Job said in
Job 14:1 "Man that is born of woman if of few days and full of problems." In 2 Pet 1:3, we are told that, "through the knowledge of Christ we have ALL things that pertain to life and godliness." Peter is telling us that God, through His word, will reveal all the answers to our problems and difficulties we encounter in life. That is like taking a test in school and having the answer book laying right beside the test booklet.
If this is the case, and I believe it to be so, then why do we observe so many Christians messing up their lives so badly when confronted with problems in life, i.e., marriage, parental, employment, immorality, personal problems, etc. I believe the answer lies in the area of TRUSTING the Lord.
Over the years Christians have sought advice about some difficulty they are facing. The Bible is opened and they are shown scriptures and scriptural principals that deal with the particular problem they are facing. Sadly, some make a statement along this line, "I don't see how that will work". And therein lies the problem. Paul said in 2 Cor 5:7, "We walk by faith and not by sight." Having faith means you have enough confidence and trust in God that when He gives direction it is followed exactly. If we will not do something that God says because we cannot see the end result first, then we will never give more than minimal service to God. Abraham typifies faith. He left his home land, at God's command, not knowing where his journey would lead him. He left "By Faith", trusting that God cared form him and would lead him to a place that would benefit him. In our times of trouble God is our refuge. He is the only place we can go for inner comfort and direction to successfully resolve the difficulty that is troubling us. When those times of trouble come, let's resolve to go to our refuge and trust the Mighty God of heaven to be our source of protection, comfort and direction. by --- Dick Millwee
Brought to you by The Spruce Pine church of Christ
For Further Discussion write: P.O. Box 401/Spruce Pine, NC 28777