WHERE IS YOUR REFUGE IN THE MIDST OF CALAMITIES?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down,
but even in death the righteous have a refuge.
(Proverbs 14:32)

MEDITATION:
In previous generations, calamities were things that happened occasionally,
however, in our world today, it seems as if calamities happen every day. We
think we have seen it all, but then something happens that shows us we have
not seen it all.

Some of the things that happen today seem more severe than just an
incident, they appear to represent the characteristics of a demented
society that defies logical reasoning, and even worse, a society that
doesn’t need or want the presence of God (our Creator) included.

Of course, people react in different ways whenever calamities occur.
Pessimistic people tend to think that everything is going to get worse
and there is no hope for improvement. Optimistic people tend to look
for causes and solutions to what has happened. Everyone else falls
somewhere between these two extremes.

So, how should we feel whenever bad things happen? It depends on
what is going on in our lives at the time, doesn’t it? If we are in the
group identified as the “wicked”, then more than likely it will have
a negative impact on us. We might think ‘wicked’ is a harsh word
for describing us when unrighteousness is prevalent in our lives.
But we need to remember, we are judged by God using His standards
and not mankind’s description of sinfulness.

However, if we are considered in the righteous group, we will always
find refuge in our Lord. He is the One we go to when everything seems
to be crumbling around us. How comforting it is to know that He will
always be near us and wrap us in His arms no matter what is going on
around us. He is the One we go to when our own death is the calamity
we are facing. But those who don’t know the Lord are the ones who
will be “brought down” in death.

None of us like to talk about death; it’s the forbidden subject of most
generations. Yet it is inevitable for all of us. Death is real, and when
we die, there is a reality we are required to face by ourselves…all alone;
nobody will be with us at that hour.

David said he found an answer that would take the fear of death away.
He said there is an answer to death; there is a hope beyond death. Paul
wrote that to be “absent from the body” is to be “present with the Lord”.
That’s the promise to all believers: the Lord is our hope for every calamity,
every situation, and every reality (including death), that we encounter.

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – How do I react to calamities?
    – Do they devastate me and cause me to have an intensely worried attitude?
       Or, do they remind me of the hope that is there for me – which is my refuge
       in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Maybe it is time for us to establish a new relationship with the One
who cares about us more than anyone else, or maybe it is time to
renew our relationship with Him. We have a choice, don’t we? We
can find peace, hope and joy in a relationship with the Lord, or we
can create more misery for ourselves by totally excluding Him from
everything we do, think, or say.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the many promises You have
given me. When things are going bad, You are there. When
things are going great, You are there. Thank You for always
being available for me. Thank You for waiting to greet me on
the other side of death’s journey. Forgive me if I have not given
You adequate attention and included You enough in my life.
Help me to create or reestablish my relationship with You and
grow ever closer to You each day. Teach me to enjoy how You
have a presence in my life more every day. Lord Jesus, with
complete trust I look toward that day when my soul will be
with You for eternity.”

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