40 Days of Encouragement

Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of Encouragement
Day 13 | IN TIMES OF TROUBLE
IN TIMES OF TROUBLE

Psalm 27:1, 5
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.”


If you've reached adulthood, you KNOW that life is not the proverbial "bowl of cherries." Life has its problems – little ones and BIG ONES.
 
When we're 7 or 8 years old, the problems we think are BIG are almost nonsensical to our parents and can often be solved with a hug and a kiss.

But when we're adults, our problems can be huge, seemingly impossible, and potentially life-changing.

And yet, to our Heavenly Father, they are – like our children’s were to us – small and simple. And sometimes, they can – from God's point of view –be handled with a "hug and a kiss" from our Heavenly Father.

In Psalm 27, King David is singing about how important the LORD is to him, especially in times of trouble. He lauds the Lord being his STRENGTH and the One to go to when he is afraid.

Then David talks about "times of trouble" – something with which we can all identify. But he speaks then about being HIDDEN in God's TABERNACLE, or booth or shelter. That special place where God, our Heavenly Father, provides protection from danger and even the thoughts of danger. It's a place where God's children can be HIGH upon a ROCK – implying being able to SEE the trouble below and far away.

Going back to the first verse… it's key to me that God also brought David LIGHT. There are few things more troubling than darkness, and here, God promised to be our light if we will only cultivate our relationship with Him as our Heavenly Father and call out to Him in times of trouble.

Prayer: LORD, I need you. Thank You for being there for me and with me 24/7 and in my times of trouble. Amen.