By: Khelsey

Read: Leviticus 9:7-10:20, Mark 4:26-5:20, Psalm 37:30-40, Proverbs 10:6-7

The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
He is their stronghold in time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them;
He delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
(Psalm 37:39-40)

Relate: Challenges and struggles are present in everyone’s life. An important aspect that allows us to grow as a person is the different problems we face every day. This includes the little challenges that change us for the better or worse. As Christians, one challenge we seem to face in our day to day life is turning to God when we are in trouble. 

An example of this would be from my own personal experience. Last year, earlier in the first semester, I had struggled deeply with my mental health. I often overthought everything around me, I was overstimulated and lacked tons of sleep because of the homework and stress. Being in new, more difficult classes hit me like a hard brick to the face. Since I am a person who cares so deeply about her academic performance and who is constantly cautious of it, I felt an overwhelming sense of defeat when I came back home with a failed exam. This event caused a domino effect on my mental health and it took me a long time before I was able to get back up on my feet. During that time, I felt so distant and away from God’s sight which is why I never asked for help. I didn’t ask for help at all. I was too afraid that others would judge me and God would judge me so I didn’t dare ask for help.

React: The point of my story was to spread awareness that it is better to ask for help from anyone, and especially from God. Asking for help is the best thing you can do for yourself and it isn’t something to be afraid about. I truly regret not asking God for any help during that time. He would have helped me in ways that I couldn’t even imagine and that’s all because I never asked for it. As the verses say, if we take refuge in the Lord’s stronghold (a secure or fortified place) He would help us and save us from sin. God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. He knows and sees everything so there is no point in hiding from him. Allow Him to know more about your struggles that are hurting you. Don’t be afraid to take refuge in Him, trust in Him that everything will work out as long as you allow Him to help you and work for you. Don’t be like me, someone who was afraid of God’s judgment, because God is kind and He cares for you. 

Respond:

Dear Lord,
Please continue to help those who are hurting and in trouble. Allow them to take refuge and trust in you and your grand plan for them. Continue to help me to be less afraid and be more courageous. I am sorry for all the times I had ignored you and your calls. Thank you for not abandoning me even when I have wronged you. We all ask this in Jesus’ name.
Amen.