Joey Crandall
“The Lord is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble;
And He knows those who trust in Him.”
– Nahum 1:7
In Hebrew, the word used for trust in this verse out of Nahum literally translates to “flee for protection,” or “make refuge in.”
To trust in Jesus, is to make Him your protection and refuge in life.
And in that, you are known by a good God, who is your stronghold in the day of trouble – which is presented as a certainty in this verse.
You will have troublesome days.
And our God is a God who comforts, and sustains, and guides our steps through each one.
The Apostle Paul, out of the depths of a series of deep trials he was facing, wrote to the Corinthian church, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3)
In whatever you are confronted with, is your tendency to simply flee fromthe circumstance?
So often what’s true is that God is dealing with something in our hearts through that circumstance. Teaching us His strength, or compassion, or patience, or hope or endurance. Teaching us the fullness of His nature and presence. Whittling out of our hearts our self-reliance, or our pride, or our self-sufficiency. And when we flee those lessons, those lessons tend to keep chasing us down.
Do you flee from the circumstance? Or do you flee for protection in your Lord in the midst of the circumstance, trusting that He will comfort you in the midst of all your tribulation?
It’s a difficult proposition, because there is a continual and inherent death to self contained within.
But with our God, for every element of self we place on His altar, He blesses us with more of His Spirit, more of His character, more of His heart.
He is the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation – but not just for comfort sake.
He provides such comfort that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we are comforted by God.
It is a continual death to self, but by the power of the cross of Jesus Christ, there is then continual resurrection – new life given and sustained by the Holy Spirit of God in the place of the dead flesh crucified upon His cross.
Galatians 2:20 says “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.”
In this world, there will be troublesome days. Seemingly more and more, the more time rolls on.
There is a God in heaven, though, who sent His Son to earth to die for the sins of mankind. And to rise again in victory over death – that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.
There is a God in heaven who sent His Son to be your salvation. And that God is good.
He is a stronghold in the day of trouble. And He knows those who flee to Him for refuge and protection.
Joey Crandall is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Carson Valley in Gardnerville.
