Our Refuge and Help
Deuteronomy 33:27a (NLT)
The Eternal God is your refuge, and His everlasting arms are under you.
Deuteronomy 33:27a (NLT)
Sometimes God allows crises to come to show us what we have inside us and to strengthen our resolve to serve Him.
Conversely, when we learn to cultivate the atmosphere where God’s presence can dwell, that is, when we seek to be constantly in communion with Him; we begin to understand the dependable, unchangeable, and unshakeable nature of God. We may not be able to avert a crisis for many reasons but we will have the assurance that He will bring us through safely since ‘The Eternal God is our dwelling place and underneath are His everlasting arms.’ – (Deuteronomy 33:27).
The late Dr. Myles Munroe often said he prayed all the time. It had become a habit of his to constantly whisper words of prayer and praise as he went about his business. What was in his heart was flowing out of his mouth. This is the posture we must adopt. When we learn to live like this, miracles can happen at any time. God can bring deliverance, healing, or meet any other need, even when we do not pray for that specific need.
Once at university in another country, I had run very low on finances and had constantly been praying for the Lord to supply. I had a financial crisis on my hands. I prayed and trusted God to provide but I saw nothing coming, according to my timeframe. I decided to use the little money I had left to purchase a few things to cook that day so I proceeded to the supermarket. I collected the few items that the money could have bought and joined the queue to cash out. While waiting in line I said to the Lord, “Thank You for multiplying these five loaves and two fishes to cover my need until the money arrives.” Just as I had finished saying this, a young lady whom I knew came through the doors, saw me, and said, “I am in such a hurry, would you please cash out my purchases?” She then hurried to pick up a number of items from the shelves, packed them hastily into a basket, and handed me the basket. By this time, I was just two persons away from the cashier. She took my few items, placed them in her basket, and handed them to me, together with her credit card.
I left the supermarket that day with the items I needed and with the money I had taken to pay for them. God had provided for another day.
The Apostle Paul in the book of Philippians chapter 4: 19 states, “But my God shall supply all of your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” – KJV. Earlier in that same chapter, he said, “… for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” ( V. 11). Let us learn like Paul to be content with whatever we have and to trust God to intervene even when a crisis looms. He always delivers on His promises.
Prayer
Help us Lord, to understand and differentiate between our wants and our needs and to trust You to supply all our needs as You surely will. Help us to know that we can make our requests known to You, by prayer and supplication, and that You will have respect for and honour those prayers. You are God. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Read: Philippians 4:15-20; Psalm 62:8; Psalm 90:1-2
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 78: 32-39; Acts 18:9-28; Acts 19:1-13; I Kings 20; I Kings 21
