Bible League: Living His Word God is our refuge and strength,a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Where can you go when the familiar and friendly life you had is suddenly broken up by forces beyond your control? Where can you go when that which you relied upon to be there when you needed it suddenly disappears? Maybe the one idea or product that kept your business afloat is stolen by competitors. Maybe the star witness that could exonerate you in a court of law suddenly gets cold feet. Maybe the key person you depended on to run your campaign deserts you for a job with the opposition. Where can you go? Where do you go when it seems like the very earth has given way? When it seems like a landslide has carried the very mountains into the heart of the sea? That which seemed stable, and even eternal, breaks apart and crumbles to pieces. You begin to question your talents and abilities. You even begin to question the call of God on your life. Maybe you got it wrong. Maybe it was all a big mistake. After all, if God were in it, He wouldn't have allowed all this to happen, would He? Then it gets worse. It seems like the sea can't stop churning and convulsing. It seems like one chain of mountains wasn't enough for it and it wants to swallow even more of them. The one thing you needed was taken away and now everything else is being threatened. Real fear begins to rise up in your soul. Anxiety like you've never had before gets a grip on you. You try to keep it under control, but this is beyond anything you have ever experienced. It's the challenge of your life. But then it happens. Maybe it was the result of your mother's instruction, or maybe it was the result of the Sunday school you attended, or maybe it was your habit of Bible reading in the early morning, but, whatever it was, it was the reason our verse for today came to mind. Where can you go? What will take away the fear and anxiety? You can go to God, for "He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingJeremiah 25, 26 Jeremiah 25 -- Jeremiah Prophesies Seventy Years of Captivity and Judgment on Babylon NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Jeremiah 26 -- Jeremiah Threatened and Spared NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 2 Timothy 3 2 Timothy 3 -- Godless Times Will Come NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God's message without fear.Insight When we speak fearlessly for Christ, or live faithfully for him during difficult situations, we encourage others to do the same. Challenge Be an encouragement by the way that you live. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, etc.This prayer begins where all true prayer must commence, with the spirit of adoption, "Our Father." There is no acceptable prayer until we can say, "I will arise, and go unto my Father." This child-like spirit soon perceives the grandeur of the Father "in heaven," and ascends to devout adoration, "Hallowed be thy name." The child lisping, "Abba, Father," grows into the cherub crying, "Holy, Holy, Holy." There is but a step from rapturous worship to the glowing missionary spirit, which is a sure outgrowth of filial love and reverent adoration--"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Next follows the heartfelt expression of dependence upon God--"Give us this day our daily bread." Being further illuminated by the Spirit, he discovers that he is not only dependent, but sinful, hence he entreats for mercy, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors:" and being pardoned, having the righteousness of Christ imputed, and knowing his acceptance with God, he humbly supplicates for holy perseverance, "Lead us not into temptation." The man who is really forgiven, is anxious not to offend again; the possession of justification leads to an anxious desire for sanctification. "Forgive us our debts," that is justification; "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," that is sanctification in its negative and positive forms. As the result of all this, there follows a triumphant ascription of praise, "Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever, Amen." We rejoice that our King reigns in providence and shall reign in grace, from the river even to the ends of the earth, and of his dominion there shall be no end. Thus from a sense of adoption, up to fellowship with our reigning Lord, this short model of prayer conducts the soul. Lord, teach us thus to pray. Daily Light on the Daily Path Psalm 104:34 Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD.1 Peter 2:6 For this is contained in Scripture: "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." Psalm 45:2 You are fairer than the sons of men; Grace is poured upon Your lips; Therefore God has blessed You forever. Philippians 2:9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, Colossians 1:19 For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 1 Peter 1:8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, Philippians 3:8,9 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, • and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. 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