Take Comfort in the Word of God

Psalm 61:1-4 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

Well, I’m not even sure where to start! I just know that there is encouragement in the scripture for these trying times and that I can’t get to my gigantic pile of chores and errands until I search the scriptures a little more and write down a word of encouragement (even if it’s only me that needs it).

In the past week, the world has descended into utter chaos and yes, it has even reached our little part of the world here in Katherine.

I awoke this morning with a feeling of anxiousness. A fear, slowly welling up deep inside of my being. A restlessness. Turmoil.

I knew this wasn’t a good way to start my day, but business called, and I had to make it through my busy day, dealing with people, rushing here and there, and all without letting the chaos overwhelm me.

I didn’t have time for my usual quiet time with the early start, and so, as I made my deliveries around town, I let my Bible app read the Psalms to me.

Oh, what blessed comfort the Word of God can bring to the troubled heart. Before long, I felt my spirits rise and the tears welled up in my eyes as I thought of my faithlessness and my doubting.

As the reading got to Psalm 61, I had to stop and note down where the passage I was hearing was found so I could go over it again later.

I found myself meditating on the passage and pondering over the strength we find in its verses.

If you are feeling overwhelmed today, if you are doubting, if you are lacking in faith, if you are finding it hard to trust God’s hand, then take heart, God has comfort for your soul.

Read over this portion of scripture again.

Psalm 61:1-4 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

I found many strong things in these verses.

A rock. A shelter. A strong tower. A tabernacle. Wings.

I see all these things as symbols of safety. Protection. Refuge.

A rock symbolizes strength, and we know that God is our rock.

Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

He is a shelter for us, a place to run to. Somewhere safe we can hide. He is a strong tower. Not just a tower to take refuge in, but a STRONG tower!

What about the reference to the tabernacle? In Old Testament times, the tabernacle was the place where God dwelt among his people. It was a portable place of worship, God was there.

And wings.” I will trust in the covert of thy wings.” God’s wings are a protection over us.

Psalm 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust:

 his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Psalm 36:7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God!

Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

If you’ve ever seen a mother hen sheltering her baby chicks under her wings, you are able to get just a little glimpse of how God shelters us with His mighty arm of protection.

In these uncertain times, and as we look around at the circumstances, it’s not easy to see God. We can become fearful, anxious and doubting. But God is still God and He never changes. He is in control and we have only to trust Him and not waver in our faith.

It’s a lot easier to say this than to do it. We know the promises in the Bible. We know that God is in control, but when it really comes down to it, we are called upon to put our faith into action. What a time to draw close to God. What a time to see if you really believe those promises!

There are over 300 verses in the Bible telling us to ‘fear not’. I think God wants us to really get a hold of the fact that we don’t have to fear. If we have Him living in our heart and we are walking close by His side, we don’t have to have a spirit of fear. He will bring peace to our souls.

One of my favourite verses in the Bible is found in the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

God allows us to go through things in our lives that are not comfortable. They’re not pleasant. They are stressful, they are frightening. But if you allow Him to, He will do a purifying work in your heart and you will come through the other side, praising Him for His goodness and protection over you.

Although we don’t understand why this is happening in our world right now, we can be comforted in knowing that God knew about it long before we heard of it and that He is sovereign and holy and righteous and knows what He’s doing and is in control of the situation.

Don’t take my word for it. Search the scriptures for yourself and dig up the precious promises that God has for you. There are so many that I could be here for a year, but you will get a lot more out of it if you get into your Bible and study them out yourself. And when you do, share them with others. There is a world out there that needs hope. We need to share the good news of the gospel with them. We need to be faithful Christians that can show a lost world that we can live without fear.

Trust Him. Stay faithful. Don’t fear. Don’t doubt.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,

shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

” DON’T DOUBT IN THE DARK, WHAT YOU KNOW IN THE LIGHT”