ONLY ONE PLACE TO TURN

Deuteronomy 33:27 “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

Some may depend on their bank accounts, their jobs, their families, their relationships. But our God is a far better refuge than any of those. It is not that relationship we’ve invested so much time in that is our refuge and strength. It is not a job or a house that is our ever present help in time of trouble. It is not the economy that gives us our strength. It is not the age, appearance, condition or health of our bodies which provides us help. It is God who provides us with a place to run, a place to hide.

There are times when everything in the world gets turned upside down. There are times the earth is moved. Sometimes the waters roar and the mountains shake. It seems as everything is against us and out to destroy us. No one is exempt from these realities. Whether it is a national tragedy that involves millions or a lone person sobbing in a hospital waiting room after learning their loved one has died in the night, tragedy in life is a reality.

We cannot control the things that happen to us, but we can control how we respond to those things. The truth is that God often uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It was the broken Jesus who gave us life. And it is broken families, cities, and nations who will rally and become stronger. Just like a broken bone is stronger after it heals. God promises, as we heard in our reading, that He will make all things work out for the good of those who love Him. Don’t forget that when you find yourself in the midst of a calamity. Be sure that you are one of those who have put their faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. That relationship is our sure foundation when the earth is shaken.

At times our foundations are shaken. It seems like everything is coming apart beneath us. But those who put their faith in God will not be swallowed up by such events. We have a firm foundation in God. When the waters roar and the mountains shake, we can stand firm. As Charles Spurgeon wrote: “Faith rests on a firmer basis, and is not to be moved by swelling seas. Evil may ferment, wrath may boil, and pride may foam, but the brave heart of holy confidence trembles not.” Even when everything seems to be against us, Christians can remain at peace. This doesn’t mean we will never go through storms for we do. It means Christ is with us in the storm and he brings peace in the midst of that storm.

It is easy to let our calamities overwhelm us until we lose sight of God. Get still long enough to remember who God is and what He is doing. We need to wait and behold the works of God. Remember what He has done and what He surely will do. Get still long enough to see things from God’s perspective. Only God knows how your situation will end. We don’t know where this calamity or others will lead us. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. But we do know who our God is. When calamities come, remember that God is with us.