Ps 91:1,2 14-16  He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, My God in Whom I trust.”---- “Because he loves Me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.”
             
The Lord has told us repeatedly that the world holds trouble for us. Whether it is physical, spiritual, or financial we will face problems, whether they are ours or someone we love. Jesus rejoices in us when we persevere throughout. He rejoices in us when we count it all joy. Our faith grows by leaps and bounds when we face the trials head-on. We grow when we crumble under the weight and we cry out to the Lord. He hears us. He provides for us a place of refuge.
             
When our hearts are crushed with pain and we feel our prayers are not heard, the Lord is with us. We don’t always feel His arms around us. We fight against the pain and cry out against the confusion. Even Jesus cried out to His Father on the cross. He felt the loss when God turned away while Jesus carried the sins of us all. Jesus spiritual pain was deeper and wider than His physical pain because He had never felt separated from His Father until then.
             
When the enemy of our soul attacks, James tells us to resist him and he will flee. If we submit to the Lord, we will defeat the enemy’s plans for us. When we draw near to the Lord in prayer and praise and studying His word, we take our mind off of the circumstances and focus on the eternal. Praising the Savior of our souls is tough when we are in the midst of trials but if we remember Who is in charge, it’s easier.
             
​Praise the Lord in the midst of your pain. He hears us when we call upon Him and He is faithful to answer us. Try praising Him even when it is the last thing you want to do. Try it His way and see His faithfulness.

1Cor 1:4-8 I always thank God for you because of His grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in Him you have been enriched in every way- in all your speaking and in all your knowledge- because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be blameless on the day or our Lord Jesus Christ.
             
I have been blessed several times to serve on the nominating committee. As we struggle to fill the positions in the church, I look at those whose only interest is to warm the pews on Sunday morning. They come to the service bearing gifts and talents. They leave them resting quietly in the pews when they leave. The Lord has benefitted us with all kinds of abilities and we don’t take advantage of them. We are reluctant to step out in faith and honor Him by serving.
             
We are leaving our blessings sit on the shelf, concerned we will make a mistake or get involved in the leadership roles. We rob the Lord of the honor and glory by disdaining what He has offered us. While we are not always aware of all of our talents and abilities, He is faithful to walk with us through the challenging paths of leadership. When asked to serve in a specific role, the Lord will guide us in the tasks that are involved in that service.
             
​The Lord has given us all the wisdom and knowledge we need to serve Him. No matter what ministry He has planned for you, remember it is Christ Jesus we are serving. While the vessel which we fill with our gifts may be in the church or in the mission field or in our workplace, Christ Jesus is the ultimate focus for our serving. We do it for His honor and glory, not for our own. We honor Him by stepping out in faith to serve others even if we must leave our comfort zone and step into unfamiliar territory. Jesus knows all about the role we are to fill. Trust Him to lead you. He is faithful.

     2Cor 10:4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
             
     Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a refuge in the times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.
             
     Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
 
      A stronghold is a place with restricted access. It is a place of protection or it can be a place where we can hide. Many times, in this world, we have built strongholds for both good and bad reasons. We tend to hide some of our worst habits and beliefs behind walls of strength to protect them from the light of truth. We tend to protect our prejudices behind carefully constructed walls of stubbornness and rebellion. We don’t want others to have access to our thoughts or actions that have not been made public.
             
     Thankfully, we have a Savior Who is our stronghold. His light shines truth into our lives. We can run to Him and know that He already knows all our secrets, rebellious thoughts, and bad habits. He knows our hearts. He knows our fears and failures. He loved us from before time began. We can feel safe running to Him with confessions and know we will be helped and forgiven.  There is nothing we can’t tell Him. He already knows.
             
     Ps 61:2,3 From the ends of the earth I call to You, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. For You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.
             
      Our enemy knows our weak spots and takes advantage of that. He knows where we are the most vulnerable and sneaks in arrows of temptation. He is subtle and sneaky. He doesn’t set out big warning signs of his intentions or billboards announcing his plan of action. He starts with a little detour from our beliefs or encourages us to compromise on a ‘minor’ point. When we next look behind at the trail we have been following, we find we are far from the straight and narrow.
                           
​     God is the Rock of our salvation. He places us in the cleft of the Rock. He protects us from the enemy of our souls. He rejoices when we run to Him and ask Him to lead us back into His will for our lives. He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and set our feet firmly on the path back to Him. He is the stronghold that can protect us and comfort us. 

     Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost everything you have, get understanding.
             
     Mark 8:21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”
             
     James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God Who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.            
     One of the most difficult things for me to admit is that I don’t understand something. I feel a little slow and ‘not too swift’. I know it is ego and I am working on that. When something seems ‘over my head’, I need to ask for a more basic explanation.
             
      Jesus spent three years trying to get the apostles and others to understand what He was teaching. He oftentimes would take the disciples aside and give them more detailed explanations about His parables and teachings. Many times He said they were dull and slow of hearing. He told them they were hard-hearted and forgetful. This gives me hope that I may learn to understand more deeply the things of kingdom living and living under grace and mercy.
             
     Luke 24:45 Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.  One of the things that Jesus gave to the apostles after His ascension was the Holy Spirit.
             
      John 14:26 “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
             
     We, who have accepted the Sacrificial Lamb, have also been given the gift of the Holy Spirit into our hearts and minds. The Holy Spirit has given us the ability to understand far more of the Scriptures than those who reject Jesus. Their stubbornness will not allow them to accept their sinfulness and therefore, they must reject the message of the cross.
             
     We, who are saved and redeemed, therefore have been given the Pearl of great price. We have access to the secrets hidden from the rest of the world. We can understand the gift of grace and mercy. We can open our hearts to the deepest wisdom of the Bible and share it with others.