Psalms 46:1-3

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;

Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,

though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

 

The word refuge is from the Latin. Re- means back and fugere means flee.

So, in our scripture it means to flee back to God.  Our Lord is a place of strength and safety that we can flee back to when we’re in trouble.

Jesus told us we would have trouble in this world.

John 16:32-33 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

But, there is good news. The gospel. Jesus has overcome the world and all of the sin, trouble, and worry of this world.

One of our greatest worries is that we will be left alone. Loneliness is a rampant problem in our culture. One recent survey had over 40% of American adults reporting that they are lonely.

It seems that one of our greatest fears is that we will be left all alone to bear our troubles by ourselves.

Not so. You will never be left alone. The Lord has promised.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Jesus promised, too.

John 14:15-18 If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

What a friend we have in Jesus! He has sent the Comforter. Talk about someone who is always with you. The Comforter is the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead trinity.

And look at this scripture. He is going to be WITH us and IN us. This is the Spirit who comes to live in your heart when you are born again.

And He will never, never leave you. He will walk beside you in this world, so you will not be lonely or comfortless. He will also live in your heart reminding you about the truth of God’s word and reminding you of the gospel that Jesus died for you and loves you.

Worry and anxiety and loneliness can lead to more serious things like depression, anxiety disorders, and even suicide.

An expression theologian Francis Schaeffer used a generation ago is “the line of despair.”

A writer online said, “when we believe in capital-G God and capital-T truth, we have strength for today and hope for tomorrow. When we don’t, we sink beneath the line (of despair) and have no real purpose except that which we manufacture for ourselves. Sooner or later it does not satisfy, and as we age we have nothing to look forward to except oblivion—and that leaves us in despair.”

A life without God as our refuge, Jesus as our savior, and the Comforter as our friend is indeed a life with no real purpose, a life of loneliness and despair. A life without hope.

But, thanks be to God, that is not our case. We have a savior and a high priest, who CAN BE touched with the feeling of our infirmities. With our troubles and with our loneliness. We have a savior who cares.

And, we have this wonderful communication system God has provided for us. It cannot be hacked or discontinued or cut off. It’s always online. There will never be any technical problems with it. You can’t misplace your device. It will never run out of battery. Unlimited talk time.

It’s called prayer. We can call on the Lord anytime. No busy signal. No voicemail.

Psalms 34:4-8 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened:  and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

May God Bless You.