Silence for 2-5 minutes:
If your mind wanders, silently pray a simple prayer again and again, such as, "I surrender to your love" or "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me" until the Holy Spirit gives you a sense of peace and focus.
Scripture:
Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Reading:
We instinctively seek refuge when we are threatened. When weakened, we seek to be strong and stabilized. The Psalmist states that God longs to be both our refuge and strength in all of the challenges of life. Most wonderful is the fact that the ever-present God is particularly available to us in trouble. The believer need not panic when faced with the direst calamities of life, for the Lord Almighty is with us.
The Hebrew phrase nimṣā’ mĕ’ōd can also be translated well proven. Our Lord is not only present to us in trouble, but he is well proven as well. We can look at the examples from scripture of those who made the Lord their refuge and take heart. They faced unthinkable trouble, and yet they triumphed, courageous, and without fear! Read their story and take heart.
Hebrews 11:33-38
who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning;[e] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
Actions:
Who or what is your refuge when you face trouble? What steps can you take to make the Lord your refuge?
Prayer:
O Lord, I have often sought refuge in people and things other than you during times of trouble. Thank you that you do not abandon me in the time of crisis, but instead, you make yourself completely available to me. You alone are a proven refuge. Let your faithfulness and love cast out all of my fear regardless of what happens in this life. Amen.