Psalm 9-16

June 11

Psalm 9-16

"The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." (Psalm 9:9-10, NIV)

Where do we turn when we have problems? Do we turn to our friends, our family, our bank account, our lawyer, a counselor or do we turn first to God? We need our human support system, and God encourages us to seek wise counsel. But to seek counsel without seeking God’s counsel is not wise. God is a refuge when we are in trouble. He is a place of protection and rest. God is also a stronghold, He is the rock we can hang on to in order to help us hold fast when the world seems to be swirling out of control.

When we get a glimpse of who God is, when we realize that He loves us and wants what is best for us, we realize that we can put all our trust in God. He is good and faithful. The psalmist wrote that those who know His name, will trust Him. To know God as He is, is to trust Him. Followers of Jesus say we trust Him, but do we really? Do we trust Him enough to trust Him with every part of our lives? Do we trust Him enough to walk in obedience to His word and believe that He will take care of us? Do we really believe or do we just say we believe?

God has never forsaken those who seek Him. "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13, NIV) Christianity is the only religion in which God seeks and pursues people. Every other religion people seek their god and hope he will accept them. In Christianity we believe God seeks us and sent His son to die for us. We also believe that if we seek Him, we will find Him, because He wants a relationship with us. If we seek Him, He will not forsake us, He will reveal himself to us.