Life is difficult. I’m sure we can agree that we have all had our share of difficult situations to navigate and at times, just want to escape from it all and wish someone would just change the circumstances. At times over the last year I’ve certainly felt this way as I’ve adjusted to new family dynamics, new living situations and new working patterns. At times I felt at the end of my tether, I felt exhausted and just wanted something to change. 

At the most difficult point, I started to prioritise spending time with Jesus so would get up before everyone else and read my bible. It was then that I discovered verses about God being a refuge and our strength in times of trouble. It was then I discovered the verse that would carry me through the foreseeable future:

‘Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you. He will never let the righteous be shaken.’ – Psalm 55: 22 NIV. 

The more Psalms I read, the more verses about refuge and strength came up. Then one morning I read these words:

‘The Lord is good, a refuge in time of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.’
-Nahum 1: 7 NIV

When this verse popped up as a verse of the day on my Bible app I immediately thought I was reading a verse from a psalm, so I was surprised to discover it was from a different book of the bible. 

Reading that verse in Nahum that morning reminded me how often this sentiment appears in the word of God – 43 times in the book of Psalms alone. As I had that thought, two things struck me.

1. These words of comfort are not just a nice sentiment to promote positive thinking but are solid truth that we can cling on to and help us stand firm in our faith. 
2. As Christians, we’re never promised a trouble-free life but we are promised that God will be present in our trouble, that He will be our refuge (stated by a woman called, Christine Caine, who delivered the ‘food for thought’ bit on the verse of the day on the YouVersion app).

King David, who wrote many of the Psalms, was no stranger to suffering and hardship himself. While he certainly enjoyed positions of high power and defeated a giant with just a stone and sling, he also faced life’s storms – he spent a lot of time on the run hiding from a man who wanted to take his life, and he committed adultery and murder. David was not perfect. But he did know how to seek God as his strength and look to Him for comfort and refuge; and that, I admire. From reading his writings in Psalms 62 & 63 there are 3 things we can learn from King David, about how to find refuge in God .  

1. Seek God

One thing we cannot do is hope to find refuge in God and lean on him for strength if we do not seek him. In Psalm 63: 1 NIV, David writes ‘You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek for you.’ I love the use of the word earnest, implying he is looking for God with all his heart – he is desperate to seek God. Spend time with Jesus – find a quiet space away from all distractions, go for a walk and talk with Jesus. Finding quiet is not always possible – as a mum of two little ones I know how hard this is – but pop on some worship music and worship your heart out. Whatever it looks like for you, seeking God is crucial.

2. Pour your heart out to God.

God wants to know what is on our hearts. He wants us to share our concerns. He cares for us and loves us. David tells us to do this in Psalm 62: 8 NIV, ‘Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.’ The previous verses (Psalm 62: 3-4 NIV) demonstrate David telling God what is on his heart. The verse mentioned above (Psalm 55: 22 NIV) also tells us to share our cares and concerns with God. When we do, Jesus sustains us and gives us the strength we need to get through our difficult circumstance. Write it down in a journal, draw, simply speak it out, however you do it, God is listening.

3. Praise God 

It is well known that writing a gratitude diary or doing something similar boosts wellbeing and I truly believe that praising God and stating the good things He has done strengthens our relationship with and faith in Him – even in the hard times. We saw earlier that David sought God earnestly. He was clearly desperate to feel close to God which tells us something of the situation David found himself in when writing this Psalm. Yet, the verses that follow immediately are full of praise to God and David stating he will praise God for as long as he lives (Psalm 63: 2-5 NIV). 

These three things I have tried to do over the last year. Did my circumstances change? No, but I certainly did. Speaking out those verses each morning about God being our refuge and strength, seeking God first thing in the morning and giving over my cares and concerns to Him made the adjustments in my life much easier to deal with. Yes, it was still hard and no, I didn’t always manage to get up before the rest of the house but my faith deepened, God gave me strength and I found refuge in Him.