OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: MONDAY JULY 17TH 2017
THEME: NO SHAKING!
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Psalm 46:2
Read: Psalm 46:1-3
46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
46:2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
46:3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
When you have God as your refuge, you stand to derive numerous benefits. Having God as your Refuge places you in an advantageous position and makes you truly blessed. One of the blessings that money cannot buy is having divine cover over your life that keeps you safe from the enemy. If you consider your strengths and weaknesses, and take a stock of the opportunities and threats you are exposed to continuously, you will realize that having God as a Refuge is priceless benefit indeed. With God as your cover, you are shielded from so many attacks of the enemy. Even the losses that are programmed to come your way are terminated by God before they get to you. If you are not yet enjoying the strength of God’s cover, you are experiencing a big minus in your life.
Another benefit of having God as your Refuge is that His strength will be made available to help you in the time of trouble. Speaking about God’s strength, 1 Corinthians 1:25b gives this insight:
“…. and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
In several scriptures, Good promises to help us in the time of need. For instance, Psalm 50:15 says,
“And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”
If God is not your Refuge and you call on Him when you need help, He may not respond to you. On the other hand, He easily responds to those under His cover. Are you under God’s cover? Is He your Refuge?
Moreover, when God is your Refuge, no matter what happens, there is no cause for alarm. Just think about this for a minute: Psalm 46:2-3 says that as you are under God’s cover, when there is an earthquake and uproar in the seas or even if the mountains are blown off their locations, you will still be safe where you are. Praise God! It is an anomaly for you to be under God’s protective cover and still be afraid of storms of life. Beloved, do not be scared of the storms confronting you! Don’t be afraid of the earthquake! Don’t even shake when the unmovable are moved from their secured places. Why? As long as God is your Refuge, you cannot be moved. Whatever cannot move God cannot move you. If out of fear, you have been displaced from under God’s cover, in the Name of Jesus Christ, as you repent of your lack of faith, the Lord will return you to the place of His Refuge! With God as your Refuge, there is no shaking for you!
Father, because You are my Refuge, let everything that is designed to shake me fail.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Samuel 10-11
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 9: ON THE HILL FAR AWAY
1. On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the Dearest and Best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it someday for a crown.
2. Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.
3. In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.
4. To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me someday to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.