Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Refuge





God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

Psalm 46:1-3


The first thing that I wanted to do when I stepped foot inside my front door tonight was run to Noah's room, hold him and make sure he was alright.  I suppressed that desire, however, since it was one o'clock in the morning, and the little tike probably would not appreciate the gesture as much as I assumed he should.  More importantly, I quickly realized that the hug would have been for my own need for comfort more than it was for his.  

Noah got sick to his stomach for the first time tonight-- at our baby-sitter's home.  I got the news while I was on a break at work and it practically made me sick.  I had to stop eating my dinner.  Poor guy!  He must be so confused.  He must be feeling horrible.  I NEED to help him!  But I wasn't there.  I was at work, and drudging through a pretty crummy shift at that.  It made me feel awful.  Stuck.  Incompetent.  Frustrated.  Thankfully his baby-sitter was there, a wonderful woman whom God has placed in Noah's life and heart.  But I still felt horrible. My heart yearned.  I wanted to comfort him, and I wanted his little goofy grin to strengthen me and tell me that everything would be alright.

As I think about the Lord, I am hit hard with the realization that our refuge, strength, and comfort should come from none other than Him.  He has blessed us with our earthly relationships to give us glimpses of what he can offer us, but if that's all we ever experience, we miss something wonderful.  His refuge and strength never fail, never meet a challenge they can't overcome, never disappoint, never waver, and never sleep.  They are free for the taking if we will only allow our hearts to be swept up into love with him.

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