Sumter Pastor Joey Durham: Find refuge in God this year
Happy New Year! Today's devotion is "The Beginning of a New Year," and my text is found in Psalm 46:1-2, where we see, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." (KJV) Our text comforts our heart with this profound truth, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
No doubt, the Psalmist David was penning these words by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but also with the knowledge of what he had experienced in his life. David knew what it meant to need God as his refuge, or a place of shelter and safety from the troublesome circumstances he was facing in his life. He knew what it felt like to need a hope for tomorrow and someone bigger than himself to trust in to take control of his life and to know that the One he is trusting to take care of him does all things well.
The idea of a "very present help" is that of one being near at hand. When trouble comes, God's help is right beside us, for He said in Hebrews 13:5b, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (KJV) Because the aforementioned is indeed absolute truth, "Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." Though the Psalmist David may have been looking through the eyes of a prophet in referring to the earth being removed and the mountains being carried into the sea, which are events that will take place during the Tribulation Period when God will rock this earth with cataclysmic earthquakes including one which splits the Mount of Olives to the Mediterranean Sea (Zechariah 14:4-5, 8), the greater thought is of finding refuge in our Lord God during times of great trouble in our everyday life. The way ahead in 2024 is certainly unknown, but it is not unnavigable for the child of God who is trusting their Savior! Simply reach out and take the Lord's Hand, and in so doing, your steps may not always be easy, but they will be steady and secure.
Joey Durham is pastor at Open Bible Baptist Church at 180 Old Manning Road in Sumter. You can contact Pastor Durham at durham.joey@yahoo.com or call the church office at (803) 481-9315.