Glory to God! Hallelujah! Greetings to everyone around the world in the wonderful name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I believe that the Lord God Almighty has been good to each one of us during the past week and blessed our life with spiritual sustenance that are needed for our spiritual growth. We can be assured of His continuous blessings upon us for the rest of our life on earth. As we meditate upon His Word, the Lord God would allow us to taste and see that He is good (Psalm 34:8). There is no doubt that the Lord God Almighty has been good to you and me who follow Him faithfully, and it is true to the fact that He is good to everyone else whether they acknowledge Him or not. He remains our refuge and strength and shelter and an ever-present help in times of our spiritual or physical or emotional or social or political or cultural or similar trials and troubles that come across our life, as the sons of Korah testified from their own life-experience: 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 … The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress (Psalm 46:1-3, 7). As faithful followers of Christ, we are privileged to find refuge and shelter in the presence of our Lord God when disaster strikes against our life.  During these time He will cover us with His feathers under His wings, as one of the Psalmists stated: He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart (Psalm 91:4).

The Lord God has blessed us with a very comforting Scripture passage for our SftW meditation, which is taken from the Second Epistle to the Corinthians chapter One and verses three and four (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). The selected Scripture passage focuses mainly on God’s comfort to His chosen people who are undergoing suffering due to their troublesome faith-life. It is a generally accepted fact among the followers of Christ that ever since sin entered the human life/world (Genesis 3:1-24), our life on earth was challenged and tested by trials and troubles apart from the pain of disease and death (ref: John 5:14; Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 11:30). Sinfulness is spread all across the world and is destroying the relationship between God and mankind as well as the unity between people, as it is mentioned in the Scripture: Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold (Matthew 24:12; also refer to Genesis 6:5, 11-12; Jonah 1:2b; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 2 Peter 3:3), and elsewhere it is mentioned: The wicked wander freely, and vileness is exalted among men (Psalm 2:8). If we do not take refuge in the Lord, the wickedness will destroy us.

The faithful followers of Christ have to bear the common human burdens they carry on their body and face opposition and trouble from the enemies of the gospel (Psalm 38:4; 73:5; 1 Peter 2:24). Jesus Himself foretold His disciples that they will have many troubles here in this world, as He stated: In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33). Jesus promised His disciples that He is going to be with them always until the end of time (Matthew 28:20). Jesus did not assure His followers a trouble-free life on earth, rather He told them in advance that they will have many troubles in this world. Jesus Himself faced trouble and opposition from every side [from His own people as well as from others] during His earthly life and ministry but He overcame the world by relying on His heavenly Father’s strength (John 16:33). Similarly, in this world of sin and sickness, sorrow and suffering, trial and temptation, trouble and tribulation, divisions and injustice, evil and wickedness, and so on, the only way to lead a meaningful and righteous life is to fully depend on God and trust in His strength. Apostle Paul urged the believers in Ephesus: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power (Ephesians 6:10; also refer to 1 Chronicles 16:11; Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalm 62:8).

If we study the life of king David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22), we can understand that he went through a lot of problems in his life. Although he served in the army of king Saul and brought many victories for Israel (before he began to reign in Israel), he faced life-threatening situations from king Saul himself. In every challenging and life-threatening life-situations, he trusted the God of his fathers unswervingly and the Lord delivered him, as he testified: For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock (Psalm 27:5). He turned to the Lord God in the midst of his despair for he knew that the Lord would comfort him in his affliction. Therefore, in every life-situation (whether good or bad) he trusted the Lord God. He made the Lord God his stronghold and refuge. David did not place his confidence in his throne or in his wealth or in his mighty men or army or in any other worldly resources but he placed his confidence in the Lord – the giver of life and other blessings. As he faced death everyday of his life, he trusted the Lord and testified that Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:4).

Apostle Paul encouraged the believers in Corinth to take refuge in the Lord who comforts us as we face death everyday while carrying the light of the gospel to everywhere in this dark world. Apostle Paul encouraged the believers who were facing trials and troubles in their life due to their faith in Christ Jesus, saying: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Dear friends in the Lord, let us trust in the Lord in times of trouble and commit our life to the Lord and believe that the Lord God will hear our prayers and answer our prayers. As the trials and troubles come across our faith life, let us not be discouraged rather let us trust in the Lord and live rest of our life for the glory of God. May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!