Scripture: “I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.” – Psalm 3:4
Examination: David was familiar with the storms of life for he experienced many troubles during his lifetime. In this particular psalm, David was fleeing from his son, Absalom, and he cried out to God for deliverance. Regardless of whether his storms of life centered around wars, relationships, personal sin, etc., David always turned to God for his salvation.
Application: In the region where I live, we recently experienced two intense winter storms, back to back. The first brought ice and the threat of power outages; the second brought snow and frigid temperatures. We had only a week between them, and many people were scrambling to be prepared for both bouts of wintry weather.
Life can be like that. Storms may come and go in our lives without much of a reprieve between them. As we learn from studying the life of David, regardless of the frequency or intensity, it is God to whom we can trust for our deliverance.
While most Christians believe and will affirm that God loves them, it’s important to take a moment to stop and grasp the gravity of what that exactly means.
The One who created everything that exists, the One who sustains all life, the One whose power knows no bounds, the One who sacrificed Himself to restore humanity’s relationship with Him… this is the One who loves each one of us AND knows us by name!
God told Jeremiah, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee…” (1:5). This means that we all were conceived in the mind of God before we were ever conceived physically! He loved us then; He loves us now, and He will love us forever! Jeremiah 31:3 records God’s profession of love for His children, when he tells the prophet, “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
Because of His steadfast love, we can know that we will face no storm in life without God at our side. Deuteronomy 31:6 provides us that blessed assurance, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
In Psalm 46:1, David records that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” We do not need to allow anxiety or fear to overwhelm us. While those emotions are normal, we need not become enslaved to them. We must remember that God is always with us. He will never abandon us. He is a God in whose Word we can trust. If He promised to take care of us, He will do it. I Peter 5:7 reminds us the reason why, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
The next time a storm is bombarding you with troubles that seem overwhelming, remember that you are not alone. God is with you in the storm… as well as before and after!
Memory Verse: “He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.” – Psalm 107:29
In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face,
While the storm howls above me, and there's no hiding place.
'Mid the crash of the thunder, Precious Lord, hear my cry,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.
Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more,
Till the clouds roll forever from the sky;
Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.
(from “Till the Storm Passes By” by Mosie Lister)
It is VERY True, we all have ‘storms’ in our lives. GOD is always near, able & willing to save, help and deliver. Peter’s cry as he was sinking in the storm was “LORD save me”. That was my cry many years ago & JESUS did! HE came to seek & save…call on HIM, HE LOVES YOU
Amen!