GOD IS MY REFUGE AND MY FORTRESS Today’s Text: I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.(Psalm 91:2) Today’s Thoughts: Where do you run when you need to escape from the troubles of life? So many people have nowhere to go and live extremely unhappy lives. Others end their lives because they cannot bear life anymore. Where do you run? I hope you run to God. He can be your refuge from the storms of life. He can be your fortress and protect you from the things that cause you harm. I run to Him. I’ve chosen Him as my refuge, strength and fortress. How about you? Today’s Testimony: Once when life was getting a bit much for me the Lord took me to Psalm 46. It wasn’t the first time He took me to that portion of Scripture when I needed strength. This is a beautiful passage that speaks about God being our refuge in times of need. I encourage you to read it. This time when the Lord took me to this passage He inspired me to personalize it. The text speaks about the mountains being carried into the midst of the sea and a few other things that, I don’t know about you, but these things are not problems that I face. So the Lord lead me to draw personal meaning from each portion of this passage. I invite you to compare the Scripture text with my version. I tried to retain the meaning of the original passage, and yet make it more suitable for us today. I believe that the Lord helped me with every word. Here is my personalized version of Psalm 46. I hope it will be a blessing to you as it is to me. Psalm 46 (Personalized) God is very present when I am in trouble. He is right there with me. In Him will I take refuge. He will be the source from which I receive my strength. For this reason, I have no reason to fear, no matter what happens. When everything I trust crumbles beneath my feet; when everything that I thought to be unchangeable changes; when the course of my life seems threatened on every side; when the things I placed hope in are no longer certain – I need not fear, my God is Here. Amen. But I have the privilege of being able to dwell in the presence of my Lord and to have Him dwell in me even in the midst of turmoil. In His presence I find a calm river and its streams give me peace and joy. God is in the midst of our quiet place together and He will let nothing remove my place of peace and safety. My Lord will not delay to comfort me and strengthen me and give me courage to press on. My enemies were waiting to attack me; plans were set in place for my destruction. But my God spoke, and all the threats on this earth disappeared or shrank into insignificance. Surely God is with us; the same merciful, miracle working God of the Bible is still right here as our refuge from this world today. Amen. Come see all the works of the Lord, He has taken away the things that threaten His people time and time again. He has often put an end to their conflict with others. He has destroyed their enemies’ weapons of attack and closed the way for them to harm His children. O be still, and know that that the Lord is God – He is in control and He can do the impossible. He will be exalted among all those that now hate Him, He will be exalted in the world. The Lord who has been tasted and proved by so many people is with each one of us; the God who can change us from deceivers into princes and princesses in Christ has His arms open to shelter us from the storms of life. I have chosen Him as my refuge. Amen.

Today’s Task: Run to the Lord as your refuge. He wants to be your strength and comfort as you face life’s trials. Trust Him. He will be there for you and with you – always. You have no need to fear if you invite the Lord to be your refuge and strength.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I praise You that You are always there for us. I thank You that we can take refuge in You and that You will be our fortress no matter what comes our way. Lord please help us to run to You when we need to escape, for we can only find true peace in You. I thank You that You care about each one of us. Lord be our refuge and our fortress. Amen.