Topic: Present in the Storm – Our Daily Bread Devotional june 20 2019
Click HERE for Previous Devotionals
Bible in a Year:Esther 1–2; Acts 5:1–21
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.Psalm 46:7
Today’s Scripture & Insight:Psalm 46
Fire swept through the home of a family of six from our church. Although the father and son survived, the father was still hospitalized while his wife, mother, and two small children were laid to rest. Unfortunately, heartbreaking events like this continue to happen again and again. When they’re replayed, so is the age-old question: Why do bad things happen to good people? And it doesn’t surprise us that this old question doesn’t have new answers.
Yet the truth that the psalmist puts forth in Psalm 46 has also been replayed and rehearsed and embraced repeatedly. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (v. 1). The conditions described in verses 2–3 are catastrophic—earth and mountains moving and sea waters raging. We shudder when we imagine being in the midst of the stormy conditions poetically pictured here. But sometimes we do find ourselves there—in the swirling throes of a terminal illness, tossed about by a devastating financial crisis, stung and stunned by the deaths of loved ones.
It’s tempting to rationalize that the presence of trouble means the absence of God. But the truth of Scripture counters such notions. “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (vv. 7, 11). He is present when our circumstances are unbearable, and we find comfort in His character: He is good, loving, and trustworthy.
Reflect & Pray
When did a challenge in life cause you to question if God was present? What helped to turn the situation around for you?
Father, help me to trust the truth of Your Word when it’s hard for me to sense Your care or presence.
Bible Quiz Trivia By Faithwheel.com
Answer all questions, equal marks for all questions
