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Refreshment in Refuge

    by Gina Burgess

In the still of the night..
Date Posted: March 25, 2018

...sometimes we are at our most unstill. God said to "Be still, and know that I am God..." Yes. It works rather well in the light of day, but sometimes when trying to go to sleep, we start tossin' and turnin'.

Why do we toss and turn? Are we lost in this world? Is it lack of faith and trust? Is it from worry, or is it from some sin that has its claws in the heart and/or mind?

When we confess our rebellions and disobedience, when we turn to Him and come home from our wayward and wastrel ways, God literally runs toward us, scooping us up in His mighty and strong arms, holding us and kissing us with great devotion and great joy for the return of His prodigal child.

Psalm 33:13 -- Jehovah looks down from Heaven; He sees all the sons of mankind.

God searches the hearts of men. He knows without being told what we are fearful of, and yet He tells us to fear not.

Psalm 33:14 -- From His dwellingplace He looks on all the ones living in the earth.

No one person is overlooked. He knows what motivates Putin and what worries Trump. He knows what your best friend is keeping secret, and what is in the depths and folds of your heart.

Psalm 33:15 -- He forms the heart; He understands all their works.

He knows the secret sin that you cannot kick, and He knows bills need to be paid, kids need to be fed, work crises need fixing. And He whispers to you, “Fear not!” You try not to fear and fret. Ever patient and loving, God keeps whispering, "Fear not!"

Psalm 33:16 -- The king is not saved by great force; a mighty man is not saved by great strength.

What?!! Am I not in control of all my decisions? Yes. That might be the problem. Assuredly, it is the Lord God who sets a king on the throne and keeps secure his first breath and controls his last breath. Greater is the Lord than he who is in the world.

Psalm 33:10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.

His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts not our thoughts. What king would sacrifice his son to save the people who would reject hiim? It is said, "If you want to make God laugh, make plans." We have no clue what tomorrow brings, so we should praise God and let Him worry about tomorrow.

Psalm 33:17 -- A horse is a vain thing for safety; nor does he save by his great strength.

No horse, gun, knife, cannon, poverty, medical doctor, nurse, medicine, cancer nor any other life-taking disease has any power over death or life. Only One in the universe gives breath, saves, and releases the soul from the body. Fear Him who opened the door to Heaven and makes wide the gates of Hell, not the one who might break bones, nor the thing that might pierce skin or riddle it with disease.We are like grass: Here today and hay tomorrow. Even so, God declared us worthy for His Son's sacrifice while we were still filthy in sin. His mercy is forever to those who trust Him. So, trust Him.

Psalm 33:18 -- Behold the eye of Jehovah is, to those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy;

“to those who fear Him…” A mighty condition. Believers know God is merciful. He provides. He is stronger than any giant problem or crisis. Because He is merciful, He protects. Because God is ever constant and always keeps His promises, we are assured of His sustenance and protection.

Psalm 33:19 -- to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

But lest we weary Him with testing, we should not jump off tall buildings or try to stop a speeding train with our hands. God will often allow us to suffer the consequenses of our poor decisions. Salvation is past, present, and future. We are constantly being saved from the ravages of Satan. Both here in this physical world and in the hereafter we are saved. Believers live in a continuous, ongoing condition of salvation, but our physical life is not guaranteed. Physical death is at His discretion.

Psalm 33:20 -- Our soul waits for Jehovah; He is our help and shield.

Our protector, redeemer, friend, confidant, army, holiness, cleansing, living water, and magnificent refuge of safety is He.

Psalm 33:21 -- For our heart rejoices in Him because we trust in His holy name.

Trust Him. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Troubles will come, but will never drown you or consume you if you just trust Him.

Psalm 33:22 -- Let Your mercy be upon us, O Jehovah, even as we trust in You.

Tossing and turning, turning and tossing, tossing and turning all night...Bobby Lewis couldn't sleep at all last night. How about you? Sometimes I close my eyes and scenes from the day replay, or worry about a problem keeps revolving in my head and my brain just won't turn off or slow down so sleep can take over. It is a problem that millions all over the world have... Usually, it is worry or fretting about something we can do absolutely nothing about until a later time (like morning) or at no time because it is beyond our control. Sometimes it is all about something we forgot to do or neglected to do, and it is usually because we have forgotten to trust God to handle the problems.

Our Father is bigger than our problems. He proved that with Israel's problem, Goliath. He is greater than nations or presidents or kings or bosses. There is nothing in this world or out of it that God cannot handle, if we allow him to. The operative word here is allow. God gives His children permission with free will. We can choose how to react to any given situation at any given time. God is not a dictator that we should be bent under his yoke. God is not an evil judge that we must beg on bloody knees for our needs. To those that love Him, God is gentle, loving, kind, and He lifts those who are bent beneath their loads. Trust Him.

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Biography Information:

Gina Burgess has taught Sunday School and Discipleship Training for almost three decades. (Don't tell her that makes her old.) She earned her Master's in Communication in 2013.

She is the author of several books including: When Christians Hurt Christians, The Crowns of the Believers and others available in online bookstores. She authors several columns, using her God-given talent to shine a light in a dark world. You can browse her blog at Refreshment In Refuge.

If you'd like to take a look at some Christian fiction and Christian non-fiction book reviews check out Gina's book reviews at Upon

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