Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
Psalm 96:3
We serve an AWESOME all-powerful God! Psalm 46:1 reminds us that “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in time of trouble.”
Throughout the Bible we find situations that demonstrate God’s protection and care for
His people. That protection can come in the way of mighty miracles like the parting of
the Red Sea, slaying a giant with a few stones, the fall of the wall of Jericho, or
multiplying some bread and a few fish to feed a hungry crowd. God is good and His
faithfulness never fails us. Instead of rescuing us from situations, God might also decide
to shelter us by just being by our side in the midst of a situation like he did in Daniel
chapter 3 with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who were thrown into a fiery furnace.
Sometimes, it is difficult to remember God’s faithfulness when you are personally in the
midst of a difficult situation. At these times, God provides comforting words like those
found throughout the Psalms to help remind us that He is with us and will take care of
us. He points us to remember the times that He has proven to be faithful to us in the
past. Past experiences with God’s faithfulness strengthen our faith for future difficulties.
These difficult things might include:
- Bringing us through health problems
- Support through financial difficulties
- Navigating through work problems
- Navigating through family issues
- Possibly just by providing someone to be kind to us when we are having a bad day (recognize and don’t overlook these small blessings from God!)
The day my son told me that he and his family, which includes my 3 grandkids, would
be answering a call to be on the mission field in Kenya for several years was a difficult
day. I had to take a deep breath and remember that God would continue to protect and
care for them overseas just as He cared for them in Arkansas. He would also care for
my husband and me during this time of separation from them.
Psalm 46 is written as a song. It is not meant to just be read; it was meant to be
declared. Verse 1 reminds us that God is our refuge and strength and then verse 10
says, “Be still and know that I am God, I will be honored by every nation, I will be
honored throughout the world.” Every nation in this verse includes Kenya.
During the years that my son and his family were in Africa, I frequently would wake up in
the middle of the night with anxious thoughts. I found myself declaring Isaiah 26:3: “You
will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.”
Also, Philippians 4:6: “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all He has done.” These verses and others reminded me to trust and rest in God. He has been my refuge over the years through many big and small things, and declaring these verses granted me peace and allowed me to go back to sleep.
Often in the Bible, God had the Israelites do things to help them remember how He
brought them through difficult situations. Sometimes this came in the form of an annual
celebration like Passover, a reminder of how God brought His people out of Israel.
Sometimes it was in the form of creating a monument such as Joshua setting up twelve
stones (one for each tribe of Israel) to be used as a reminder that God brought the
Israelites through the Red Sea.
I suggest that we also need to find ways to provide ourselves with visual reminders of
God’s goodness. There is a sign on a wall in our house with the words from Psalm
46:10, “Be still and know that I am God”, and this sign serves as a visual reminder to me of how God has brought me through tough times, and continues to be my refuge.
What might be something you can do to be reminded of God’s past blessings, in order to
strengthen your faith and allow you to rest in the Lord the next time you are faced with a
difficult situation?
Connie Matchell currently lives in Northwest Arkansas. For five years, part of her heart was with her son and his family while they served at Rift Valley Academy in Kenya. She and her husband Steve prayed faithfully for God to protect them during this time.
In addition to writing today’s guest blog post, Laura’s good friend Connie delivered this week’s teaching lecture to the ladies’ Bible study. In Daniel chapter 4, the week’s passage, we see Daniel again interpreting a dream for Nebuchadnezzar, and we will see that God finally gets Nebuchadnezzar’s attention.
Our Woman of God Truths:
The Woman of God displays a humble heart.
The Woman of God acknowledges the power of God in all she does.
