Where Could I Go?

Sometimes life is just crazy! Between things at home, things at work, things at church, folks dying, folks going through, world events, good things, bad things…sometimes it just gets overwhelming! Today, I kept hearing the chorus to the old hymn “Where Could I Go But To The Lord” echoing in my spirit. “Where could I go, where could I go? Seeking a refuge for my soul, needing a friend to help me in the end. Where could I go but to the Lord?” That resonated with me this morning as I thought about those of you who mourn today and those of you that have just come through a rough patch in life, and those that are just plain exhausted. God is calling out to you today and offering a resting place. He is challenging you to seek Him for refuge.

If you have read Rhema for any length of time, you know that I encourage people to call God who you need Him to be. Today, as I prayed for you, I asked Him to be Jehovah Machaseh Lanu, God our Refuge. You see, God wants you to find your peace in Him. He wants you to know that there is no other shelter that can both cover and restore you at the same time. The key is allowing that to happen. I know I’m guilty of running and running and looking for rest and refuge in various places when everything I need can be found in The Lord. What or who are you using as your safe place instead of God? This is an important question to ponder because even those of you that are super strong can find yourself stressed, tired, overwhelmed with grief and not immediately go to God. It’s the flesh part of you that rises up and says there’s a solution that will make you feel better. Then you run out looking for wine, or a nap, or a brownie when in fact what you need is to get in the face of God and let Him speak to you.

Psalm 46 ministered to me this morning. It is a powerful reminder of who God is and will be for you if you will allow Him to. I invite you to read this whole passage and hear the Lord speaking to you about your situation. See yourself living within the walls of the city of God as He attends to all of your needs. Nothing that you face can come close to the power of God.

God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
²Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
³ though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
⁵ God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.
⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    He lifts his voice, the earth melts.

⁷ The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

⁸ Come and see what the Lord has done,
    the desolations He has brought on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    He burns the shields with fire.
¹⁰ He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Ps. 46 1-11, NIV)

God says something really key in verse 10 that is repeated in churches just about every week but people still don’t seem to get. At some point, you have to just stop what you are doing and acknowledge that He is God and He is above politics and whatever is happening in the world or in your life. He is GOD and He can handle anything!

I pray for you today that you will find yourself in the shelter of the Most High God. It’s time for you to let God have His time with you. It’s time for you let Him rebuild, restore and renew you. It’s time for you to let Him handle all of the things that are going on in your life. You see, nothing that you are running so hard to do will give you what you need… only God can do it.  So, if you are grieving today, lay down in the presence of God and let Him seal the cracks in your heart and give you peace for the future. If you are tired in your mind, body, and spirit from carrying the weight of your family, your church, your job, lay down in the presence of God and let Him breathe air back into you and give you strength to continue. If you are just coming out of a battle, spiritual or physical, lay down in the presence of God and let Him mend any wounds, and give you power to walk into the next season in your life. He is God and He can handle anything!

May you wait quietly for God, for your victory comes from Him. He alone is your rock and your salvation; your fortress where you will never be shaken. (Ps. 62:1 NLT) God bless…

Amen