The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Recently, I spent an inordinate time fixing a part on my bike because I lacked the right tool, only to remember later that the tool I needed was in my pocket. David wrote in this psalm that the perfect God is there every time we need him but we somehow tend to forget that he is all powerful and we can trust him at all times. King David enquired of the Lord every time he faced a crisis while his predecessor, Saul, consulted his own wits, the desires of his people, and, in the ultimate insult to God, a medium. Saul did not remember the God who anointed him, so he did not seek him in times of trouble. The right solution was there all the time.
It is hard to fathom that we try and try to get through life with faulty tools when the perfect solution is with us all the time. Yet we do it with astonishing consistency. We face battles alone when a stronghold is there. We forget his name when we trust in ourselves and our own wits. We forget to seek him, even though he knows our needs before we ask. We simply do not ask. It is an insult to God to trust in the world, in ourselves, or worse, astrology, to cure our ills when the Great Physician makes house calls.
Dear Lord, thank you that you are an ever present help in times of trouble and a stronghold against the enemy. Help us to not fight alone. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church