Day 30 — Not Alone

Psalm 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.
 
Do you have a person or a place you immediately turn to when things get difficult? For many of us it might be a family member or old friend – or if you’re a teenager perhaps a hasty retreat to the bedroom! This wonderful Psalm reminds us that we can always turn to God in a time of trouble – that he is a refuge for us, and the doors are always open and welcoming.

One night Jesus was crossing a large lake in a small boat with some of his followers. A dangerous storm blew up and the followers were not only afraid but shocked to find that Jesus had fallen asleep in the middle of it! They woke him up and to their amazement, Jesus spoke directly to the wind and waves and the storm was immediately calmed. He turned to them and asked them, ‘Why are you so afraid?’.

It may feel sometimes as if a storm is raging around us, but Jesus reminds us to have faith in him – it may be that he calms the storm around you, or it may be that he calms you even in the middle of the storm. With Jesus ‘in the boat’ with us, we don’t need to be afraid.

That dramatic night Jesus’ followers discovered exactly how God was their ‘refuge and strength’ in difficulty, just as we read in verse 1 of this Psalm. There are plenty of circumstances that can lead us to be afraid, so what is the reason not to be? It is that God is with us, that Jesus is in the boat, that we will never be, and have never been, left alone.
 
Reflect: Picture Jesus with you in the middle of it all and be reminded of his promise: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.’ (John 14:27)

Ali Herbert
Leadership Team