Refuge and Strength (by Cathe Laurie)

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3 ESV).

Do you ever feel like things are spinning out of control? That the circumstances of your situation are too much to handle? Well, I wish I could tell you that you’re wrong, but sooner or later, we come to realize that we cannot control what comes our way.

For me, that realization hit me like a freight train on a sunny July day many years ago. I had my plans. I had my dreams. I had my expectations. I was sure that day would go smoothly.

. . . It didn’t.

That morning, I prepared to meet my daughter-in-love and her mom for a time of Bible study. Our first granddaughter, two-year-old Stella, had a fun outing planned with Papa Greg—a walk through toy shops and a trip to the pet store.

None of it worked out the way we planned. What was a beautiful summer day turned into the darkest day.

Our son, Christopher, was on his way to work—and never arrived.

In one quick moment, our lives changed. There would be no more conversations with our son this side of Heaven. There would be no more good-bye kisses or parting hugs.

All our resources—friends, pastors, medical doctors, lawyers, police officers, EMTs, our life savings, and every prayer we could think of to pray . . . nothing would or could ultimately undo or mend this tragedy.

If all of my life depended on those things, I would have entirely fallen apart. So what held my heart and all of us in that moment? Our all-powerful Savior, Jesus. He was there and He was holding us, as surely as He was (and is) holding our first-born son.

We can hold tightly to the things we think give us security—our savings accounts, the professionals we know, the career we’ve worked to build—but at the end of the day, all of those things are like stick houses in the wind. One big gust, and they’ll come crumpling down.

And then what’s left?

God upholds the universe—ALL things—by the Word of His power (see Hebrews 1:3).

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10 NKJV).

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1 ESV).

Over and over, the Scriptures remind us of His strong shield around us. He is our refuge and our strength. I love how the J. B. Phillips version of Hebrews 6:19 puts it: “This hope we hold as the utterly reliable anchor for our souls, fixed in the very certainty of God himself in heaven, where Jesus has already entered on our behalf . . .”

No matter what hurricanes tear through our lives, He is an utterly reliable anchor. He will always remain the very certainty of God, holding us together. Although my family and I had a long journey to digest our grief, the Lord walked with us through the valley of the shadow of death. We were upheld by Him.

What’s holding you today? What’s keeping your life together? If it’s the things of the world, I’m sorry to tell you . . . they’re not enough. But God is!

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Cathe Laurie is the founder and director of the Virtue women’s ministry. She is also a featured speaker on The Virtue Podcast, at Harvest events, and the author of As I See It. You can find her weekly articles here on harvest.org.