I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
A Refuge to Run To
We live in unpredictable times. The things we value, the people we care about, the lives we lead—all of it feels uncertain and unstable.
King David could relate. After years of faithful service to King Saul, the king plotted to murder David. Desperate, David fled to Gath—the home of the giant David killed in battle. After being recognized by the people of Gath, David was so overwhelmed by fear that he pretended to go insane. The king of Gath was repulsed by his “insanity” and so he threw David out of the city.
By this time, David had escaped death multiple times. He was surrounded by people who hated him, and he had every reason to be anxious and fearful. But in the midst of his uncertain circumstances, he creates a Psalm to praise God for His greatness.
I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.
Psalm 34:1 NLT
Worshiping God put David’s problems into perspective. Situations could shift, but God wouldn’t. He was still powerful, constant, and ever-present. He didn’t always remove David from hard situations, but He saw David through every difficult moment.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:4 NIV
God was the one who rescued David from his enemies. God was the one who repeatedly provided for His people in the midst of hard times.
And if He did it before, He can do it again.
Right now, reflect on the ways God has been faithful to you. In what ways has He protected, provided, strengthened, and encouraged you?
If you’re struggling to think of examples, that’s okay. If praise doesn’t come easy to you right now, just read through Psalm 34 and let its words become your personal prayer.
The same God that David talks about is still doing great things in our world. He still listens to the cries of His people. God is still present in our pain, He is still at work in our uncertainty, and He is still all-powerful—even when we feel powerless.
When nothing in life makes sense—you can still run to Him and find refuge.
God Is With You
The prophet Isaiah wrote the words of Isaiah 7:14 nearly 600 years before Jesus was born. At the time of this writing, the Israelites were doing all the right religious things, but weren’t practicing justice as God commands. Like many prophets during Isaiah’s time, this was a warning against that injustice. But among that warning was a glimmer of hope that God would set things right.
Here, the prophet Isaiah is giving the people of Israel a reason to hope because of God’s good promise—the promise that He will provide a sign and He will show up for us. Because that’s what Immanuel means: God with us.
But what does “God with us” mean for us today?
It means we can share in that hope by fixing our eyes on Jesus and trusting in Him. We can trust that from Christ’s birth to His current reign in Heaven—Jesus is God with us.
He’s with us in our pain when we lose a loved one.
He’s with us in our anger when we see injustice and don’t know where to turn.
He’s with us ...
