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God Is an Emboldening Strength (continued)
thing much for creating and sustaining a peaceful environment. Still, there is no respite from suffering. And death is inevitable for all born in this world
It was humbling for Sam to realise his frailties. The best of his ability and strength were insufficient to tackle this challenging environment. Only his trust in the eternal God, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords would help him tide over the difficulties of life. He must ac- cept the sovereignty of God in all things and surrender himself totally to God.
His heart was emboldened and filled with confidence and strength as he recalled these verses from Psalm 91:
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust... Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thou- sand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee... Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways...
Sam thought to himself, “Weren’t there numerous occasions when he had felt that all hope was gone? But in all those situations, did he not feel the presence of the Holy Spirit and the word of God succour and prop him up? Had he not run to take refuge in
the name of Jesus which is a strong tower against the strongest enemies?”
There were times when he felt his faith life faltering. But often he was re- minded to find strength and encourage- ment from the lives of people like Abra- ham, who didn’t stagger at the promises of God through unbelief and continued to be strong in faith and giving glory to God. Abraham was fully persuaded that God is a promise-keeping God, able to perform what he promises.
This quiet confidence and glowing hope in Christ kept him above the tri- als and troubles that now threatened to drown him.
He silently closed his eyes in prayer:
“Lord I will not trust in my abilities or in other help to increase my con- fidence or strength. You have always been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat when the blast of the terrible ones was as a storm against the wall. Thank you for your rich spiritual provisions and for helping me in my spiritual dis- tresses and attacks of the enemy and turning them into occasions of joy and celebration. Thank you for still- ing my heart and glorifying your Name through my life.
Yes, thank you for being my peace and for enabling me to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might and not easily shaken or troubled.
Thank you for being my refuge and strength and a very present help in times of trouble.”
Amen! n