God, my refuge at all times in all events

 An Emoji Devotional for Mon 17 Oct ,2022

By H. U. Wenger

Topic: 

"God, my refuge at all times in all events"

The Prophet Micah lived in the 8th century before Christ in the same time as Isaiah. At the beginning of Chapter 7 he depicts how rotten his contemporary society was. Let us speak him in his own words:

“What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave. The faithful have been swept from the land; not one upright person remains. Everyone lies in wait to shed blood; they hunt each other with nets. Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire – they all conspire together. The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day God visits you has come, the day your watchmen sound the alarm. Now is the time of your confusion. Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with the woman who lies in your embrace guard the words of your lips. For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law – a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.” In the midst of that truly deplorable situation he sets the contra point for himself: “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord” and he is certain that the Lord will hear him.

 The verses from Proverbs 3 give us the same recipe by telling us that we are not to trust our own reasoning, but set our trust wholeheartedly on the Lord and he will direct our path. We all are in the danger to trust our own wisdom and experiences, which lead us to developing ungodly defense strategies that hinder us to live God’s message of love. Christ Jesus came into the very rotten society Micah depicts to us and spread the love of God among the evil people and many turned around, experienced his salvation and began to follow him. 

The Apostel Paul reminds the Colossian congregation and with them all of us to do the same thing. Our orientation has not to be on our rotten society, not on material things, not on what is happening in our world, but only on the word of God and on the love of God that has appeared among us in Christ Jesus. In him our live is hidden and with him it will be revealed in his glorious appearing. 

The old hymn, “Like a river glorious, is God’s perfect peace” says in the third verse: 

“Every joy and trial, falleth from above, 

traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love.

We may trust Him fully all for us to do;

Those who trust Him wholly find him wholly true.

Stayed upon Jehova, hearts are fully blest; 

Finding as he promised, perfect peace and rest.

 Dear Jesus, help me to subdue my thinking and my experience under the obedience to your word. Keep me in an intimate relationship with you and help me to trust you fully in all the givens and in all the changing situations of my life. Help me to have my eyes always upon you, so that my love for you does not grow cold because of the injustices and evils in my surroundings. Let me be fruitful for your kingdom. Amen